Couple who met on their wedding day and couldn't speak each other's language jailed over sham marria

A couple who only met for the first time on their wedding morning and couldn't even talk to each other have been jailed for their part in a sham marriage scam.

In a new twist on the old joke "marriage is a sentence not a word", would-be groom Dominic Nartey was jailed for two years while his bride-to-be Fatou N’Diaye was given six months.

Nartey, of Cardiff, admitted he had met N’Diaye for the first time on the morning of the planned ceremony in Northern Ireland.

But Home Office Immigration Criminal Investigation officers stopped the wedding at Newtownards Register Office before it could take place.

Cameroon national Nartey, 29, of Redwood Close, St Mellons, admitted his role in the scam and also pleaded guilty to an added charge of possessing an identity document with improper intent after travelling to Northern Ireland from South Wales on December 19.

French national N’Diaye, 26, of Ommaney Road, London, admitted that she knew the proposed wedding was a sham and that she was being paid for her role as a bogus bride.

Officials confirmed that the couple could not speak each other’s language.

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Details of the sham marriage plan emerged when members of the gang were sentenced at Downpatrick Crown Court on Monday.

Cameroon national Elvis Assahm, of Duckpool Road, Newport, was jailed for seven months for acting as a witness during the ceremony.

Immigration and Security Minister James Brokenshire said: "These sentences send a clear message to the criminals who think they can cheat our immigration laws. Our specialist teams will catch you, and you will be brought to justice.

"Last year, we intervened in more than 1,300 sham marriages – more than twice as many as the year before. We are making it even harder for criminals by building a system that is fair to British citizens and legitimate immigrants, and which cracks down on those who flout the rules.

"The new Immigration Act is also making it even tougher for fraudsters by extending the marriage and civil partnership notice period — giving officers and registrars longer to investigate suspicious marriages."

Liam Byrne from the Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement Criminal Investigations team, said: "This has been a complex investigation but the dedication of our officers has paid dividends. The individuals who have attempted to abuse our immigration laws and marriage system are now behind bars.

"It should serve as a warning to anyone thinking of getting involved in similar criminal activity that the Home Office is cracking down on all forms of immigration crime. Those who seek to cheat immigration laws face prosecution and conviction."

Two other co-conspirators in the wedding plot were also handed sentences on Monday.

French national Massiamie Bamba, 45, from London was sentenced to six months suspended for three years while Joseph Movuh Vutung, 37, originally from Cameroon but living in Manchester was jailed for seven months.

Nartey will be detained in immigration detention pending his removal from the country.

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