Legal News
Middlesbrough Sham Wedding Results In Jail Sentence (5 October 2011)
Date: 05/10/2011
A would-be sham marriage groom has received a jail sentence and is facing deportation after offering a Middlesbrough escort £4,000 to wed. In addition to money, Indian masters graduate, Srikrishna Mandava, offered the escort two diamond rings, a satellite TV, and a laptop computer so he could remain in the UK. The would-be sham wedding emerged when they were questioned at a Middlesbrough register office and it became clear that the two barely knew each other. In separate interviews, the escort was found unable to spell her would-be husband’s first name.
In court, the two provided significantly different accounts of the abortive marriage deal. Mr. Mandava claimed that he fell in love, or lust, with the escort. Prosecutor Barry Robson told the court that Mr. Mandava arrived on a student visa and was granted until March to work in the UK as a skilled migrant worker. His application to marry was granted and the pair arrived at the registry office on January the 4th. Astute superintendent registrar, Louise Galloway, believed the pair to show no signs of affection and it was this that aroused her suspicions as to the genuineness of the marriage. The pair were arrested nine days later - a week before they were due to marry. Mr. Mandava and the escort admitted a charge of assisting unlawful immigration. Judge Matthews handed Mr. Mandava a 12-month prison term and gave the escort a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years in addition to 150 hours’ unpaid work.
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