Two women have appeared in court accused of breaching an order protecting a teenage girl from being forced to marry.
The pair, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were brought before Luton County Court for alleged breaches of the forced marriage protection order (FMO).
They were arrested after the girl went to Luton police station saying she had been forced to marry a man she had met only once before.
The women deny breaching the order, which was made last year.
Breaching an FMO is punishable by up to two years in prison.
The order was made after the girl contacted police saying her family had threatened to take her to Pakistan for a forced marriage, and had threatened to shoot her.
“It was said that no-one outside the family would know what had happened to her,” His Honour Judge Sir Gavyn Arthur told Luton County Court.
The order forbids anyone from forcing her to marry in the UK or abroad, and from intimidating or harassing her.
Counsel for one of the defendants, Neelim Sultana, told the court: “There is no dispute that a ceremony took place. It is disputed that my client played any part in arrangements for the marriage. The picture is very complex.”
The case was adjourned until Friday.