Sham marriage trial: 'Nigerian and his Czech bride were not living together'

They found 38-year-old Lenka Jacova at an address in Quatford Gardens, Park Village, Wolverhampton when they swooped on July 24 2014, the city's Crown Court was told.

But Peter Frederick, aged 26 - the man she had tied the knot with a year earlier at Shrewsbury Register Office - was sleeping at a house in Crowther Street, Whitmore Reans - an address also used when he applied for permission to remain in this country on the grounds of being married to an EU citizen working and living here.

The deputy registrar and the certificate production assistant both officially reported to the Home Office that they felt the marriage was bogus because the couple had not appeared genuine.

The prosecution has claimed that African men paid up to £6,500 to be provided with with a bogus bride or fake long term partner, who were mainly Eastern Europe to allow them to stay in this country.

Frederick admitted being a worshipper at the Kingdom of Godfire Church whose senior pastor Donald Nwachuckwu, also a Nigerian, is alleged to have helped to arrange the marriage with Jacova.

But the groom insisted: "I did not ask him to falsify or change any documents in relation to the wedding." He agreed that Nigerians living in this country were prone to helping each other out but insisted that 42-year-old Nwachuckwu did not even know that he was getting married. Frederick continued: "I got married to Kenka because we love each other. It was not a sham."

When asked why he and his wife were at different addresses when Home Office investigators called he said they had argued the day before. He explained: "I was having an argument with Lenka and was not at home. Her mother told me that she had been arrested. The argument was over a new mobile phone that she had and I wanted to know where it had come from."

Nwachuckwu had £153,000 worth of credits paid into various bank accounts he opened under a false name and no taxable work record to justify the sum, the court has heard.

Mr Stephen Thomas, prosecuting, maintained that he was an important figure in the sham marriage plot and continued: "He was the obtainer of clients for the conspiracy, probably through church contacts and mainly centred on the Nigerian community.

"He was ideally placed to find people with difficulties and worries about staying in this country and to direct them towards people who could help."

Nwachuckwu, from Sabell Road, Smethwick together with Frederick and Jacova, now both of Prosper Street, Wolverhampton and five others all deny conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration law between January 1 2012 and March 13 2015.