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Seven jailed for Wrexham sham marriage conspiracy
01 February 2012
Seven people have today been given jail terms for trying to cheat immigration rules by staging 2 sham marriages in Wrexham.
Officers from our criminal and financial investigation team arrested 2 Indian men and their Lithuanian 'brides' at Wrexham Register Office on 30 August 2011, before the ceremonies could take place.
They also arrested 2 more Lithuanian men and a UK national who were also in the wedding party.
All 7 admitted a charge of conspiracy to facilitate a breach of UK immigration laws and were sentenced to the following at Chester Crown Court on 31 January. Andrej Stepanov, aged 28, (Lithuanian national) of Crowther Road, Wolverhampton - 1 year 4 months, Manpreet Singh, aged 27, (Indian national) of Dudley Road, Wolverhampton -1 year, Jasbir Singh, aged 21, (Indian national) of Dudding Road, Wolverhampton - 11 months, Sandra Beleckaite, aged 21, (Lithuanian national), of Dudding Road, Wolverhampton - 304 days, Oskana Alexsandraviciute, aged 37, (Lithuanian national), of Dudley Road, Wolverhampton - 304 days, Antannas Beleckas, aged 27, (Lithuanian national), of Oser Place, Wolverhampton - 1 year, 3 months, Jaspal Singh Sahota, aged 51, (UK national) of Finneywell Close, Wolverhampton - 2 years, 2 months.
Our investigators went to Wrexham Register Office on 30 August last year where the weddings of Manpreet Singh and Alexsandraviciute and Jasbir Singh and Beleckaite were due to take place.
As the couples arrived at 13:25, together with Beleckas, Sahota and Stepanov they were arrested by our officers.
Manpreet Singh and Sahota were both carrying boxes containing male and female rings, while Stepanov was acting as a photographer.
Under questioning at Wrexham police station, the 2 couples initially claimed their relationships were genuine despite not knowing many personal details about each other or speaking a common language.
All 7 were charged with conspiracy to facilitate a breach of UK immigration laws and pleaded guilty at different hearings before today's sentencing.
A sham marriage typically occurs when a non-European national marries someone from the European Economic Area, or the UK, as a means of attempting to gain long-term residency and the right to work and claim benefits in this country.
In this case, Manpreet Singh's visa was due to expire in September 2011, shortly after the planned wedding. Fellow groom Jasbir Singh was in the UK illegally after his visa expired earlier in August 2011. We will take steps to remove them from the UK at the end of their jail terms.
Dave Offside, criminal and financial investigation team, UK Border Agency said after the sentencing:
'The two grooms in this case saw sham marriage as a potential shortcut to a life in the UK, but they have ended up behind bars.
'The brides were prepared to marry people they barely know in exchange for cash and the others involved also stood to gain financially.
'The UK Border Agency is cracking down on sham marriages and those who seek to cheat immigration laws face jail.'
A marriage certificate alone does not give foreign nationals the right to live and work in the UK. Their relationship has to be genuine and they are still required to apply to us providing evidence to support this. If it is not, they face prosecution or deportation.
Anyone who has information on suspected immigration offenders can report it using our report a crime form on this website.
For more information and contact details, see the local immigration teams in Wales.