Churches conned in fake wedding racket

Discovering that she had married a "fake" couple at her Wolverhampton church was an "embarrassment" for Rev Heather Humphrey.

She led a ceremony for two people who knew nothing about each other and would go their separate ways as soon as it was over.

The only reason they stood next to each other at the altar of Christ Church, in Coseley, was because the British "bridegroom" had been paid and the Jamaican "bride" was looking for UK citizenship.

But according to UK Border Agency officers, vicars and registrars cannot be blamed for not suspecting couples that appear before them.

Investigators today revealed that sham marriage organisers have become experts in pulling the wool over the clergy's eyes, often arranging wedding cakes and reception parties to provide photographic evidence to show immigration officers.

Rings have been known to be bought from Argos and shared among brides and bridegrooms involved in the same racket.

The problem has led to the Church of England issuing vicars with new guidelines.

For Rev Humphrey, the warning signs were there, and she admits to having some doubts about the couple she married in 2006.

"The man was much older, perhaps in his 60s, and the bride was probably in her 30s," she said.

"I first suspected something wasn't quite right when I talked to the couple.

"She was planning hymns and her wedding dress while he was totally disinterested.

"He really couldn't be bothered. It seemed clear there wasn't much of a relationship there but you take people on trust and the penny just didn't drop."

The fake couple married by Rev Humphrey had their ceremony arranged by 50-year-old Venrick Clarke, from Oldbury, and Verona Walters, 33, of Birmingham New Road, Coseley.

Rev Humphrey said she was embarrassed when she was visited by Border Agency officers who revealed that they believed the marriage to be a sham.

But that visit alerted her suspicions to another that was due to take place, which it soon transpired had also been arranged by Clarke.

"When the officers came to see me about that wedding, I told them about another I had concerns about," she said. "I looked through the records, and it was the same address being used by both couples." Following the tip-off, another couple were arrested, having been prevented from marrying.

In 2008, Clarke was jailed for nine years for arranging 38 sham marriages over six years throughout the West Midlands.

He used sophisticated forgery and threats of violence to organise weddings so that immigrants could claim citizenship and paid would-be British wives and husbands in drugs or cash.

Clarke arranged fake guests, a reception, photographers, and wedding rings, pocketing up to £7,000 for each ceremony. Walters was jailed for a year in 2009 for her part in the scam.

Meanwhile, Patricia and Jason Williams from Dudley were jailed for a total of three-and-a-half years for their part in the Clarke-led scam.

Patricia Williams, 61, of St John's Road, helped to introduce people and arrange the bogus ceremonies and received two-and-a-half years, while son Jason, 38, of the same address, was jailed for 12 months for posing as a bridegroom in one of the marriages.

Five more of Patricia's children were also jailed for their involvement in the scam.

The cases are typical of the kind of investigations ongoing in the region, said immigration officer Neil Cross.

Figures released by the UK Border Agency today show that sham marriages are on the increase. Last year, there were 259 reports of fake ceremonies in the Midlands and east of the country compared to 170 the year before.

Mr Cross is involved in probing "several" investigations of sham marriages being organised on a large scale in the region. They involve a range of nationalities, but predominantly Africans who have overstayed their time in the UK or have entered the country illegally.

"I'd suggest it's profitable business for the serious criminals, and some are known to make hundreds of thousands of pounds," he said.

Earlier this month, five people from Wolverhampton admitted their roles in a fake marriage racket following a raid at Wrexham Register Office.

Indian national Manpreet Singh, 27, and Lithuanian Oskana Alexsandraviciute, also 27, both of Dudley Road, Blakenhall, were about to get married when officers struck.

Fake couple Jasbir Singh and Sandra Beleckaite, both 21, of Dudding Road, Blakenhall, were also in the process of marrying.

Meanwhile, Antannas Beleckas, 26, of Osier Place, Wednesfield, was there to translate on behalf of both the couples during the ceremonies on August 30. They will be sentenced next year.

"The church has been seen as the easy option in the past but not any more," added Rev Humphrey.

"We're very trusting and have been taken along for a ride before but no longer. There are so many guidelines that have to be followed now that make it so difficult."