Saudi Arabian 70-year-old man is divorced from his teenage bride after campaigners complain about child marriage

Girl from the country's Jizan province is thought to be only 15-years-old

Case came to light when man complained to local officials about marriage

Said girl's family had tricked him into paying a dowry before she ran away

She reportedly locked herself in bedroom on wedding night then fled



Divorce: The 15-year-old Saudi girl has reportedly been divorced from the 70-year-old man. She reportedly locked herself in a bedroom on their wedding night before fleeing

A 70-year-old Saudi Arabian man has been divorced from his teenage bride - thought to be only 15.

The terrified youngster locked herself in a bedroom on their wedding night and two days later she fled back to her parents’ home.

But the elderly man caused outrage when he claimed that the youngster's family had tricked him into paying a $20,000 (£12,479) dowry.

According to local reports, the man said: 'I feel that there is a conspiracy by her mother against me.'

He claimed he would go to court to retrieve the dowry from the young girl’s Saudi mother and Yemeni father and said the payment made the marriage ‘legal and correct’.



Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission however said a meeting had taken place between the man, the girl and her parents and that the dispute had been 'resolved amicably'.

The commission said the couple had been divorced.



The marriage came to light when the man complained to local officials that he had been ripped off.



After learning of the marriage the Human Rights Commission sent an investigator to the girl's home in the village of Al-Hurath in Jizan province.

There is no law outlining a minimum age for marriage in Saudi Arabia, with human rights campaigners claiming that child marriage is a problem in the Muslim country.

The man has since disputed reports that the girl is a teenager.

In an interview with CNN he said: 'She is not 15 as everybody claims. She's 25 years old and she's mature enough to make her own decisions... I was fooled by the girl's family.'

Escape: The girl, who is thought to be 15, fled to her home in the village of Al-Hurath in Saudi Arabia's Jizan province following the marriage

Despite claiming to be 70 , members of the commission said they believe he is 86.

News of the marriage has caused an outcry on in the internet, with campaigners describing the incident as child prostitution and trafficking.



Dr. Suhaila Zein al-Abedin, of government-backed group the Saudi National Association for Human Rights, said he was concerned about the marriage's circumstances, as well as the age difference.

He said: 'When you consider the very large difference in age, it looks more like this was not a marriage, but like the girl was sold.

'The girl's parents need to be held responsible for this.'

While some groups have called for the introduction of a minimum age for marriage in Saudi Arabia, religious scholars have opposed such a law.

