Groom aged 14 jilts bride of 12 years

Scores of gypsy wedding guests fought each other with knives, swords and guns after the 14-year-old groom jilted his 12-year-old bride.

The clash in the Romanian village of Sinesti left 12 people hurt.

The legal age for marriage in Romania is 18, but the law allows Romanians to marry at 16 with parental consent.

The country generally tolerates arranged child weddings among gypsies whose ancient traditions call for the marriage of children once they reach puberty.

The fighting at Sinesti broke out initially between two families, apparently because the bride’s family was angry over cancellation of the wedding, police said. The fighting then spread to other village residents.

One man was detained and will appear in a Bucharest court charged with attempted murder and destroying property.

Four other people are being investigated for alleged attempted murder and 20 others are accused of causing a public disturbance.

In 2003, the 12-year-old daughter of a gypsy leader stormed out of her wedding ceremony sparking a national debate about forced marriages between gypsy adolescents, and leading to criticism from some European Union officials. Romania has since joined the EU.

Police said they will step up their presence in Sinesti, most of whose population are gypsies.

Romania officially has 500,000 gypsies although there are believed to be about twice that number. Many do not declare themselves due to widespread prejudice.