An Act to make void marriages between persons either of whom is under the age of sixteen.
[20th December 1951]
(1)A marriage between persons either of whom is under the age of sixteen shall be void:
Provided that in any proceedings against a person charged under sub-section (1) of section five of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1885 [1885 c.69] , or charged with indecent assault, it shall be a sufficient defence to prove that at the time when the offence is alleged to have been committed he had reasonable cause to believe that the girl in respect of whom it is alleged to have been committed was his wife.
(2)Nothing in this section shall affect any marriage solemnized or contracted before the passing of this Act, and any such marriage shall be or become valid in any case where, if this section had not been passed, it would be or become valid.
S. 2 rep. by 1995 NI 2
This Act may be cited as the Age of Marriage Act (Northern Ireland), 1951.