Marriage scammer jailed

Orobola Osantuyi, 34, was jailed for two years by a judge at Chichester Crown Court on Tuesday. His co-defendant, 23-year-old Melissa Reilly, from Ireland, was given a two-year suspended sentence for her part in the sham.

At an earlier court hearing in September, both Osantuyi and Reilly admitted conspiring together, with others unknown, to make a false statement to register a marriage in Worthing on or before June 18 this year. They also pleaded guilty to conspiring together, with a person unknown, to help Osantuyi breach immigration law.

Reilly was released immediately, but the judge, His Honour John Sessions, said Osantuyi would serve at least half his sentence. Judge Sessions also made a recommendation Osantuyi, whom he said suffered from a serious tropical disease, should be deported once he has served his sentence.

Judge Sessions said: "Looking at the matter overall, this was a criminal enterprise of a character which is a source of much public concern.

"It has the potential, if widespread, to seriously undermine the integrity of this country's immigration controls."

At the September hearing, it was revealed Osantuyi, using a different name and accompanied by Reilly, had attended Worthing Register Office to give a notice of marriage.

They gave their address as Pelham Road, Tarring, and said they had lived there for eight months.

The information was passed to immigration officers and the couple were arrested on June 18, when they went back to the register office to get married.

An investigation revealed the address they had given was for sale and empty.

Reilly gave a full and frank interview to the police, saying she had arrived in the country the day before and had travelled with a friend. She said she was going to get paid 2,500 euros to marry Osantuyi and had met him four times.

She told police the wedding had been arranged by a third party - a woman called Linda Cruz and a Nigerian man called Moses. These people provided her travel documents. She said they were not in a real relationship.

A third person, Ann-Marie Devlin, 29, from Ireland, was also charged with offences, but she was bailed and failed to return to the court on August 10. A warrant has been put out for her arrest.

It was also revealed during the earlier court case Reilly had said Devlin had exerted some pressure on her to enter into the arrangement and so, too, had Cruz.

During the court case on Tuesday, John Lofthouse QC, representing Osantuyi, said: "There is no evidence he was involved at any higher level. He has been in this country for some years and has worked and has no convictions.

"My client suffers a serious illness and he believes he will receive better treatment for it in this country. There is the risk of stigmatisation and social exclusion in his home country. He is sorry and is a rather worried man."

Mark Kesler, defending Reilly, who shook and cried during the court case, said: "No payment was received because it was dependent on whether the marriage was successful.

"She has three children, aged six, five and three. The children have been subject to a custody battle. Her father attended a hearing recently on her behalf and applied for guardianship, but her former partner has temporary custody.

"Before this, she had the three children and what is happening is having a detrimental effect on her children, especially the three-year-old."

Passing sentence, Judge Sessions said: "In your case, Osantuyi, you told the probation officer you paid no money for the criminal arrangements for which you are now to be sentenced.

"Bearing in mind Reilly was to be paid 2,500 euros for her part in the matter, I find your account to the probation officer wholly incapable of belief - at least to the extent if you did not pay, someone did on your behalf.

"You (Reilly) told the probation officer you realised what you were doing was morally and legally wrong and you were prepared to accept money for breaking the law.

"It is clear you did not realise the gravity of the offences you planned to commit.

"You describe how, as the conspiracy progressed, you got cold feet and would have liked to pull out, but say you were pressurised to continue with it.

"You have been described by a member of the education department at Bronzefield Prison, where you have been accommodated, as being child-like in your presentation.

"You, Osantuyi, were intended to be the principal beneficiary of these offences.

"Moreover, you are older and more worldly wise than Reilly. In those circumstances, the sentence on you must be substantially greater than that on her.

"In the case of Reilly, I have concluded exceptional circumstances arise allowing me to suspend the sentence of imprisonment I am about to pass.

"These are that you have commitments with your children that you are not able to discharge as long as you are in prison in this country."

Judge Sessions sentenced Osantuyi to two years' imprisonment for both counts, which will run concurrently. He sentenced Reilly to 12 months' imprisonment for each count, which are to be suspended for two years.