Two Irish women are to appear before an English court next week charged with an alleged marriage scam involving an illegal immigrant in the UK, writes Joe Humphreys
Ms Melissa Reilly (23), Drogheda, Co Louth, and Ms Anne-Marie Devlin (29), also of Co Louth, have been charged with conspiring to make false statements to the registrar of marriages in Worthing, Sussex, and conspiring to assist another person to breach UK immigration laws.
The pair appeared before Chichester Crown Court last Monday along with Mr Orobola Osantuyi (34), a Nigerian man living in London, who faced the same charges. The prosecution said Mr Osantuyi had outlasted his permitted stay in the UK, and as a result had tried to marry an EU citizen.
It was claimed that the Nigerian and Ms Reilly had planned to marry at Worthing register office, travelling there on June 2nd with Ms Devlin acting as a witness.
Immigration officers were said to have checked an address given at the register office, which turned out to be a vacant property up for sale.
Two other people - a Frenchwoman, Ms Khadjidia Dansokho (29), and another Nigerian living in London, Mr George Elebiju (30) - faced identical charges at the hearing.
The couple went to Worthing marriage registry on May 29th and gave an address in the town that immigration officers subsequently discovered was a vacant shop. The prosecution claimed the couple had previously gone to the nearby Wandsworth register office on April 3rd, and Ms Dansokho and a Ghanaian had gone to Leicester registry about getting married on May 24th.
Bail applications were refused for all five accused, and the two Irish women were remanded in custody to Holloway women's prison.
Sources close to the women said they would strongly contest the charges.
A preliminary hearing takes place next Thursday, July 1st, at Chichester Crown Court.