Sham gay marriage woman is on the run

Marianna Bartkova was sentenced in her absence on Friday afternoon after failing to turn up for her trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Ramon Suru, a 40-year-old divorced father of two who shared a one bedroom flat with her in New Street, West Bromwich stood in the dock alone as both were unanimously convicted of conspiring together to evade immigration law by a jury following 47 minutes deliberation at the end of a five day trial. He was locked up for 15 months.

Suru plotted to marry 36-year-old Indian-born Gurmail Joshan who was in the UK illegally after overstaying a student visa and living in St Christopher's Close, West Bromwich.

The civil ceremony was set to take place at Gretna Green Register Office in Scotland on June 28 last year but was halted by police and immigration officials as the two men were about to tie the knot.

Bartkova, who had travelled up to Scotland from the Midlands in the same car as them as was due to be a witness at the wedding. She also had £1,000 cash in an envelope which also held the credit card of Joshan. Suru had the name of the person he was about to wed written on a piece of paper together with the date and location of their supposed first meeting.

Miss Elisabeth Bussey-Jones, prosecuting, said during the trial that ended on Friday afternoon: "This was a record of essential information you were supposed to give if anybody asked to check if you were entering into a proper marriage." When asked to explain its contents he replied: "I don't have an explanation."

Suru arrived in this country ten years ago, split from his wife, and had shared accommodation with 30-year-old Bartkova at a variety of different locations in the UK before the pair moved to their West Bromwich address in August 2012. He claimed they were just distant relatives but she had described him as her partner in unrelated dealings with the police. Both were unemployed and living off benefits.

Joshan admitted conspiring to evade immigration law and was jailed for 12 months at an earlier hearing. He was removed from the UK by immigration officials on October 9.

Illegal immigrants can apply to stay as a citizen of the UK if they marry nationals from EU countries, such as Slovakia and Joshan had booked to marry a woman at West Bromwich Register Office three times between January and April last year - just months before the proposed 'gay' ceremony - but neither party had arrived for any of these.

Inspector Andy Carter from Home Office West Midlands Criminal Investigations said: "Tackling sham marriages and sham civil partnerships is a Home Office priority and we are taking tough action to crack down on those who try to cheat our immigration system.

"The people convicted thought they could profit from abusing the civil partnership system and the UK's immigration laws, either to stay in the country or gain financially. They were wrong.

"The sentences send a clear message to anyone involved in this sort of criminality. We have dedicated, specialist investigation teams who will catch up with you and you will face a heavy penalty."