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Best man admits his own sham marriage
A BEST man accused of arranging a sham marriage revealed that he himself had once been married in a bogus wedding.
Mamadu Djalo (33), of Russell Street, Peterborough, is on trial at Peterborough Crown Court accused of arranging a wedding to help Nigerian Ruth Abumhere (29), of Gransdown House, London, stay in the UK.
He is on trial with the groom Fernando Da Silva (43), of Lincoln Road, Peterborough and wedding witness Clifford Asikhia (34), of Grandsdown House, London.
All three men deny charges of conspiracy to arrange a wedding which facilitated the commission of a breach of UK immigration law.
They were arrested as they walked through the door of All Saints’ Church, in Park Road, Peterborough, on May 17, after UK Border Agency officials lay in wait for them in the vestry.
Djalo (33) told the court yesterday that he did not know what Miss Abumhere’s immigration status was at the time of the wedding.
He said he had been friends with the groom, Da Silva, for several years and he had spoken to him about his forthcoming marriage to Miss Abumhere.
Djalo said: “I only met Ruth once, but Fernando always said he liked her very much.
“He said she was very polite, very kind, and fun.
“He said she was his friend and his girlfriend.”
Djalo claimed he thought the wedding was genuine.
However, the court heard that in 2004, he had married a woman in Sweden in a sham marriage, because he needed money.
He said he had broken his arm in an accident and was unable to work and desperately needed cash to help his daughter, who was ill with leukaemia. She later died.
Djalo told the jury he has now separated from the woman and is living with his new wife and two children in Peterborough.
Da Silva told the jury yesterday that he chose Djalo as best man because they had been friends.
He denied suggestions by prosecutor Craig McDougall that the wedding was arranged just to “get around the immigration laws”.
He said members of his family had not been invited because they could not afford the trip to England.
He added: “As I was getting married in England, I was unable to invite family members.
“I always thought we could have a party in Portugal as well.
“I didn’t have any means to have people over. I didn’t have a proper house.”
He was also asked about the couple’s plans after the ceremony.
Djalo told the court: “We were going to live in the house where I was, then going to move to a bigger house. We didn’t have a huge preparation. We were just going to live together.”
The trial continues.
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Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
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