Man, 27, pleads guilty to sex abuse of his 12-year-old child bride

A 27-year-old Lebanese student pleaded guilty in Burwood Local Court on October 8, to one count of persistent sexual abuse of a child, which carries a 25-year maximum jail sentence.

He has been ordered not to contact his victim for two years, and a date for sentencing will be decided next week. Police allege the man married the Hunter Valley girl in an Islamic ceremony earlier this year. The girl's father will face trial next year.

The father, who is in his 60s, allegedly arranged the illegal marriage.

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