A Ghanaian student, jailed for a bogus marriage scam, will almost certainly be allowed to remain in the UK under the Human Rights Act after having three children with at least two different men.
Lawrencia Mintah, 32, of Dovehouse Mead, Barking, supported her fraudulent application with forged British Gas bills and wage slips, purporting to show she lived with her new husband.
She was jailed for nine months at Croydon Crown Court (pictured) on yesterday along with jobless security guard Joseph Brown, 30, of Powis Square, Notting Hill, who received the same sentence.
"She became desperate to stay in this country and she accepts this was a sham marriage," her lawyer Miss Tanya Murshed told the court.
"She did not know she has a good chance, based on her daughter being a British citizen, of regularising her stay and obtaining leave to remain.
"She has found the whole thing extremely traumatic and regrets her actions."
No deportation order has been served on Mintah, who was facing the prospect of a seven-year sentence. Brown could have received fourteen years.
Mintah pleaded guilty to obtaining leave to remain in the UK by deception and perjury, namely falsely naming her new husband as the father of her second child so the one year-old could get British citizenship.
Brown pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration.
Prosecutor Miss Joanna Burdett said Mintah entered the UK on October 12, 2004 to study for a nursing diploma and successfully extended her visa in 2005 and 2007.
It was due to expire in May, 2008 and the defendants married on February 12 that year, with Mintah applying for leave to permanently remain based on her marriage to a British citizen.
Meanwhile, she was living with a fellow Ghanaian illegal immigrant and Brown with his girlfriend of ten years and their four year-old son.
On May 19, last year Mintah submitted five forged British Gas bills in support of her application, which falsely showed the couple living at the same address coupled with bogus wage slips from Brown's employer.
The UK Border Agency also discovered Mintah, on September 27, last year falsely named Brown as the father of her second child at Islington Registry Office.
She also had a six year-old daughter and five week-old son.
"Brown said he did it as a favour for Mintah and said there was no financial gain," explained Miss Burdett.
"Mintah claimed she fell in love with Brown and lied that he was the father so her daughter could have British citizenship."
Brown's lawyer Mr. James Murray-Smith said: "He was asked to do this, knowing her for six months, feeling he was being helpful to someone who needed assistance.
"There was no financial gain and after turning up and getting married he returned to his family. At the time he did not think he was doing anything wrong."
Judge Ruth Downing told the pair: "You have sought to undermine, subvert and avoid legitimate controls in this country. To enter into a sham marriage is a most serious offence.
"You, Brown, willingly went to the registry office and pretended to be entering into a legitimate marriage.
"You, Mintah, obtained false documentation to show you lived with Brown and maintained that fictitious account when interviewed."
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