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A Nigerian groom picked Celine Dion’s song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face to walk down the aisle for a sham marriage to a woman he had met only once before.
Leeds University masters student Jayeola Abiola, 29, first saw Portuguese ‘bride’ Vania Pinheiro-Fernandes, 29, at the dress rehearsal and struggled to pronounce her name.
But clearly confident he would get away with the con, he planned for the Canadian singer’s love song to be blasted out in Hull’s Guildhall to cement their bogus life together.
However, UK Border Agency officers had been tipped off and he was arrested before he even made it into the grand 19th century building.
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Sham marriage fixer Abiola Kumoye (left) admitted conspiracy to break immigration law by arranging a bogus wedding between Nigerian groom Jayeola Abiola and Portuguese ‘bride’ Vania Pinheiro-Fernandes. Alleged Best Man Ayodeji Abbis (right) denies his part in the plot
Abiola, 29, of Grafton Street, Hull, and Pinheiro-Fernandes, of Park Hotel, Manchester, pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to conspiracy to breach immigration law by arranging a marriage so Abiola could remain in the UK.
Fixer Abiola Kumoye, 34, of Shillingford Road, Manchester, wept in court as he also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to breach immigration law and acquiring criminal property of £2,650, the first part of the fee for the sham marriage.
The court heard how the UK Border Agency had been called by the Hull Registrar who said the couple seemed to barely know each other when they were interviewed at the rehearsal.
One investigator said: ‘You can’t make it up. They really did pick “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” to be played in the ceremony.
‘It shows, even if they never plan to spend their lives together, they have a sense of humour.’
The marriage was to cost £5,000. Around £2,500 was paid in advance, with the rest to be paid on completion.
The wedding was due to take place in Hull’s Guildhall (above), but the trio were arrested before the ceremony after the registrar tipped off the UK Border Agency
Abiola’s barrister Rodney Ferm told the court: ‘He would like to be sentenced today as he is to be deported to Nigeria where he may well have work to go to.
‘I have explained to him it would be an exception to the general rule. There is no application for bail given that he has no future in this country I see no need for a pre-sentence report.’
Pinheiro-Fernandes’s lawyer said: ‘Vania Pinheiro-Fernandes is extremely keen to be sentenced as soon as possible. She is an EU citizen and a woman of good character.’
Cocky: Abiola picked The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Celine Dion (above) as the wedding march
The alleged best man Ayodeji Abbis, 25, of Grange Road, Hunslet, denies receiving £1,000 for his part in the conspiracy.
He will face trial at Hull Crown Court on May 13.
Recorder Margai Mostafa adjourned sentencing to June until after the trial. She remanded the bride and groom in custody. Aumoye and Abbis walked free on bail.
Det Sgt Andy Norris of the UK Border Agency said sham marriages have grown considerably in the country
He said: ‘We are working to tackle this problem head on. We will find and arrest anyone carrying out these crimes, no matter where they are in the country.’
Mr Norris said there are benefits to all parties involved with arranging these scams.
‘A lot of sham marriages are arranged to allow people to stay in the country legally and that is the major reason people try to arrange these and why people are willing to act illegally to do so,’ he said.
‘Criminals who organise these fake weddings do so for a monetary benefit, sometimes thousands of pounds, and our worries are that the money raised from this could be used to possibly fund other areas of crime.
‘Fake passports and documentation are used to try and pull the wool over the authorities eyes.
‘They often involve non-EU citizens who seek illegal assistance to get married in order to stay in this country.’
