Sham marriage bride to be deported after serving jail term

Gurjit Kaur, 39, tied the knot with Slovakian Vladimir Gazi at Shrewsbury register office in order to try to gain full citizenship to the UK.

The marriage was one of six organised by Zafar Abbas, who lined his own pockets by setting up the ceremonies for foreign nationals who wanted permanent residency to this country.

But staff at the register office suspected Kaur, formerly of Dudley Street in Wolverhampton, and Gazi weren't quite love's young dream, as they showed little interaction when they got hitched.

Prosecutor Mr Tariq Shakoor told Wolverhampton Crown Court: "This case involves a sham marriage to a Slovakian national called Vladimir Gazi. He pleaded guilty to the same offence at Birmingham Crown Court, and he was given a 16-month prison sentence. He was deported following that sentence.

"The man who organised this sham wedding and others was found guilty at a trial at the same court. He was Zafar Abbas, and he was sentenced to six years.

"The defendant is an Indian national who arrived in this country in 2010 on a student visa, which was to run until June 2012." She avoided the authorities for two years after her visa ran out, and was married on June 10, 2014.

The prosecutor added a member of staff at the register office was suspicious because they appeared to know very little about each other. Police were alerted.

"On April 2, the defendant submitted an application to stay in this country based on that marriage.When she was arrested after the trial of Zafar Abbas in October, she told police that she didn't hand herself in because she was scared of what would happen to her if she was deported. At first she maintained that it was a proper marriage."

Kaur, of Whernside, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, admitted one charge of conspiring to break immigration laws.

Defence solicitor Mr Simon Hanns said: "She was the victim of an incredibly abusive relationship with her ex-husband in India. She fears the consequences of returning. She maintained that it was a proper marriage at first, but it was obvious that it wasn't."

Sentencing Kaur to 16 months, Judge Amjad Nawaz told her: "You maintained in your interview with police that this marriage wasn't a sham. You deliberately broke immigration laws."

She will be deported on her release.