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Man jailed over divorce perjury
Moshe Charazi, of Stamford Hill, north London, pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury at Harrow Crown Court on May 18.
June 26, 2017 12:28
Moshe Charazi, of Stamford Hill, north London, pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury at Harrow Crown Court on May 18.
June 26, 2017 12:28A Jewish man was jailed for eight months for twice lying in order to get a divorce.
Moshe Charazi, of Stamford Hill, north London, pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury at Harrow Crown Court on May 18.
The 41-year-old kept the divorce from his ex-wife, Rivka Raani.
The parties, both of whom belong to the strictly Orthodox community, had failed to agree terms of a get despite negotiations which spanned a number of years.
Charazi falsely claimed he did not know of Ms Raani's whereabouts, that he did not know she had given birth to his son, and that get negotiations were ongoing in two separate sworn affidavits, in November 2007 and February 2008.
Ms Raani only learned of the divorce in 2012.
Sentencing today, Judge Justin Cole said: "You committed this perjury to maintain the tactical upper hand on Ms Raani so you could silence her in divorce proceedings.
"She discovered your dishonest and controlling behaviour, which left her feeling shamed and isolated.
"You used the English justice system for your own need to control and manipulate."
Charazi remarried in a religious ceremony in Yemen in 2009, and has five children with his current wife.
Without a get, Ms Raani is unable to remarry, and any child she bears will be considered illegitimate.
Judge Cole said: "You have moved on and had another family while she has been unable to move on."
Charazi also contested an application to have the divorce set aside in 2015, which Judge Cole said showed a "complete lack of remorse" and gave an insight into his behaviour.
Two of his five children have severe medical conditions.
The health of his children, and the fact his current wife speaks little English were both "important factors" in mitigation by Judge Cole.
Dipan Varsani, prosecuting, said after sentencing: "The message is clear: you cannot deceive the court process.
"Clearly, it means an immediate custodial sentence."
Detective Sergeant Helen Purcell, who worked on the case for more than a year, said: "I think we are pleased justice has been done. It is sad for all family members involved.and hopefully people can start to move on from here.
"It shows how serious an offence it is and how robust our legal system is.
"It has been an interesting case - bringing it from the civil courts to meet the needs of the criminal courts has been an interesting process.
"I am pleased to see its conclusion, and that justice prevailed."
Abraham Samson, a friend of Charazi's, claimed the defendant committed perjury "out of despair".
Charazi will be released once he has served half of his custodial sentence, at the earliest.
Judge Cole also said he received full credit for his guilty pleas.
One count of perverting the course of justice, which Charazi denied, was ordered to remain on file.
