Guilty verdicts for botched sham marriage pair
Groom caught wearing suit with labels still attached and adjustable wedding rings has been jailed for attempting to stage a sham marriage.
UK Border Agency officers arrived just before the ceremony began at Manchester Register Office in March this year and arrested the would-be husband and wife.
Guilty verdicts
Pakistani Sherez Ahmad Nawaz was sentenced to eleven months imprisonment at a Manchester Crown Court hearing on 17 September.
His sham Hungarian bride Laura Klara Kolompar was yesterday sentenced to a six month jail term, suspended for two years, and 150 hours of community service.
Exploiting the immigration system
A sham marriage typically occurs when someone from outside Europe marries someone from Europe in order to secure long-term residency in the UK, along with the right to work and claim benefits.
Damian Green, the immigration minister, said: ‘Illegal immigration is big business. At home and abroad, we are tackling highly organised crime groups who make their living by trying to exploit the immigration system and breach our border security.’
Report it online
Anyone who has information about suspicious marriages or other immigration crime can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or report it online using the Crimestoppers website.