Bride jailed in sham marriage sting after getting husband's name wrong

A bride who got her would-be husband’s name wrong as she prepared to walk down the aisle for a sham marriage has been jailed for 18 months.

Immigration officials swooped on Lambeth registry office as Emmaculate Lumnwi, 29, and Nika Lokko, 35, prepared to exchange their vows, Inner London crown court had heard.

Lumnwi gave herself away by calling Lokko, who used a French passport under the name of Messangan Sergio Kouye, by his real name.

The bride, a marketing consultant with a masters degree in business, moved to the UK from Cameroon in 2011 on a student visa but was turned down when she applied to stay permanently.

She enlisted Lokko, a NHS facilities manager who was already married, to pose as her husband-to-be at the bogus ceremony on March 3 last year. He was also sentenced to 18 months at a court hearing yesterday.

Lumnwi, of Tulse Hill, and Lokko, of Camberwell, had both denied conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. Lokko was also given a 12-month jail sentence to run concurrently for misusing identity documents.

Sentencing them, Judge Nigel Seed QC said: “These offences are serious. Immigration is a major concern, a huge public concern."

Many people are entitled to be in this country ... But this was a decision to undermine the rules.”

Sentencing them, Judge Nigel Seed QC said: “These offences are serious. Immigration is a major concern, a huge public concern.

He added: “The courts have made it clear that there had to be immediate custody.”

Jill Smith, head of the South London Immigration Enforcement team, said: “Sham marriage abuse will not be tolerated.

Our investigators work very closely with registrars to identify suspicious marriages, and will not hesitate to act. Whether you are a participant or an organiser, you will be caught and brought before the courts.”

But a jury at Inner London crown court found the pair guilty after deliberating for less than 45 minutes.Lokko was also convicted of possession of a French identity card with intent after the seven-day trial.

Lokko is married with two children and a naturalised British citizen. He moved to the UK from Togo in 2003 and was employed as an NHS facilities manager.

He said so-called proxy marriages are common in his country and he was “ignorant” that they are illegal here .