Woman is jailed for taking part in sham marriage in Downpatrick

Woman is jailed for taking part in sham marriage in Downpatrick

9 January 2013

A WOMAN who travelled from Leicester to Downpatrick for a sham marriage has received a 15 month prison sentence.

Ayesha Mullan travelled with an Indian man, who she had met only twice before, to Downpatrick Register Office on October 5, 2011, where the wedding was planned to take place.

Yesterday’s sentencing at Downpatrick Crown Court is the result of an investigation by UK Border Agency officers who stopped the wedding taking place at Downpatrick.

Following her arrest, the 26 year-old admitted marrying other men in sham marriages both in the UK and India after meeting the grooms only briefly. She also admitted that she had been married to a British man since 2010.

Mullan was subsequently charged with conspiracy to Assist Unlawful Immigration and Bigamy.

The would-be groom in Downpatrick, 38-year-old Salauddin Daudbhai Bhadki, was sentenced last year to 15 months in jail after pleading guilty to immigration offences at Downpatrick Crown Court.

After serving his jail term, he has since been deported from the UK.

Andrea Anderson, from the UK Border Agency, said: “This woman thought she could abuse the immigration rules and evade justice by arranging a sham marriage at a location where she was not known.

“As this case shows, Northern Ireland is not a soft touch for this type of crime and we will prosecute those fraudsters who facilitate illegal immigration as well as those who have no right to be in the UK.”

Ms. Anderson has asked that anyone with possible information about immigration crime to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/.