Bogus marriage 'fixer' is jailed

Police and immigration officials arrested the 'couples'

A Belgian national who set up two sham weddings for "couples" who wanted to remain in the UK has been jailed for three years.

Samuel Amoah, 39, was convicted of two counts of breaching immigration law at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday.

A jury found him guilty of "conspiracy to cause false particulars to be entered into the marriage register".

Officers had interrupted the wedding ceremonies at the Dacorum Register Office in Hemel Hempstead on 22 April.

Hertfordshire Police and the Immigration Service took part in the arrest as part of a wider crackdown on sham marriages.

Guilty pleas

Ghanaians Belinda Afriye, 27, Mustafa Ahmed Yeboa, 47, Peter Adugha, 31, and Belgian Dorin Thompson, 44, have all pleaded guilty to charges of perjury and facilitating illegal entry into the UK.

They will be sentenced at a future date.

Speaking after the hearing, a Home Office spokesman said the prosecution was an example of the government's intent to halt immigration abuses.

He said: "The government is determined to protect the UK's immigration system and marriage laws from abuse.

"We have arrangements in place to help identify potential abuse of the marriage laws and to prevent them being used for the purposes of illegal immigration."

He added that the 2004 Asylum and Immigration Act would make it compulsory for all non-EU nationals to obtain written approval from the Home Office to marry another foreigner and then live in the UK.

Currently, foreign nationals can stay in the UK if wed to an EU citizen working here.