Canning Town woman jailed for sham marriage plot
A CANNING Town woman has been jailed for two years for trying to take part in a sham marriage in an East Ham church.
Nigerian Victoria Adesola, 34, arranged to pay Czech national Roman Horvath, of Oldham, Lancashire, to marry her so she could stay in the UK.
UK Border Agency officers swooped as the pair arrived for a wedding rehearsal at St Mary Magdalene Church in Norman Road in July, a court was told.
Suspicions were raised after Adesola supplied the historic church with a counterfeit visa and forged utility bills.
Around �1,500 in cash was found during a search of her home in Trinity Gardens.
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She was jailed for two years after admitting perjury and ID Card Act offences in September and will be deported at the end of her sentence.
Horvath pleaded guilty at Inner London Crown Court to assisting illegal immigration and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
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Chris Foster, head of the UK Border Agency’s immigration crime team, said: “We take this kind of abuse of the system very seriously and we are working closely with churches and registrars to identify suspect sham marriages.
“Where there is evidence to suggest a wedding may not be genuine, we will investigate and, where necessary, intervene to stop it happening.
“I hope this case sends out a message that those who take part in or organise sham marriages face arrest and justice in the courts.”
