Bride's £1,000 for sham marriage

Jun 27 2006

A MARRIED woman who was paid £1,000 to undergo a sham bigamous marriage at Birmingham's Register Office has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that Maria de Sousa Barbosa desperately needed the cash to send to her parents in Portugal.

Barbosa (26) of Cardiff Avenue, Ipswich, who had previously pleaded guilty to bigamy, was given a four-month sentence suspended for 12 months.

She was also ordered to carry out 80 hours unpaid work and pay £150 costs.

Jason Aris, prosecuting, said the defendant had married Francis Uwaje at a Register Office in London in May 2000. He said it was apparently a love marriage but the couple separated.

In September 2003 Barbosa married Mohammed Meghiref at Birmingham Register Office. But an inquiry was carried out by the registrar and Barbosa admitted the offence.

She said her parents needed £1,000 for unpaid rent and that she was put in touch with someone who offered her the money if she would marry Mr Meghiref.

She said it was made clear to her the marriage would not be consummated and that she only met Mr Meghiref on a couple of occasions.

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