Parish vicar faces jail for carrying out 250 sham weddings for illegal immigrants

 
Sham weddings: Rev Brian Shipsides presides over a wedding ceremony with 'fixer' Amudalat Ladipo
10 April 2012
WEST END FINAL

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A parish vicar who conducted at least 250 sham marriages to help illegal immigrants stay in the country is facing jail today.

Rev Brian Shipsides, 55, billed £140 a time for the bogus ceremonies at All Saints Church, Forest Gate netting him at least £30,000 in undeclared income.

He admitted conspiracy to facilitate breaches of immigration laws, which carries the maximum of 14 years jail.

The "fixer" Amudalat Ladipo, 31, herself an illegal immigrant, also faces jail after she was convicted by the jury of the conspiracy charge.

But 54-year-old curate Rev Elwon John collapsed in floods of tears at Inner London Crown Court today as he was cleared of involvement in the plot.

Judge Peter Grobel is due to sentence Shipsides and Ladipo later. Ladipo, a Nigerian described as a "prolific and resourceful liar", linked up EU nationals with mainly Nigerian spouses at All Saints and, it is believed, at other churches across the UK.

Officers from the Met and the UK Border Agency smashed the two and a half year racket in July 2010.

When Ladipo was arrested at the church, couples were queuing up outside for their bogus ceremonies.

She dumped a brown envelope in some bushes stuffed with bogus identity documents for use in the marriages.

By marrying an EU national - mainly Portuguese and Dutch in this case - at least 200 non-EU spouses were successfully married by the scam and hoped to take on the same rights of residence and work.

Once wed, most of them then applied to the Home Office for the right to remain in the country.
In some cases, EU nationals were even flown into Britain just so the marriages could take place before being flown straight out again.

Ladipo, who has a six-year-old son, had her immigration appeal refused four months after the swoop after the Home Office voided her marriage.

David Walbank, prosecuting, said: "Most of the so-called couples who participated in these marriage ceremonies were not actually couples at all.

"They were married in that church not because they wished to spend their lives together and wanted the blessing of the church. Their ultimate purpose was to obtain enhanced rights to enter and live in the United Kingdom."

Police unearthed the church's marriage registers to 1971, which demonstrated the sudden spike in weddings.

In the two year and seven months period prior to the scam, there were just 15 weddings, compared to 250 when the the fraudsters were working.

John, of Barking, was cleared of conspiracy to facilitate breaches of immigration laws between December 2007 and August 2010.

Shipsides, of Forest Gate, admitted the charge.
Ladipo, of Dagenham, was found guilty of the same charge and also convicted of possessing a false Nigerian passport.

Simon Prankard, senior investigating officer at the UK Border Agency's London Criminal and Financial Investigation team, said: "This was a long and complex enquiry into what was an organised and sophisticated attempt to cheat the UK's immigration laws.

"It was also an unusual investigation, involving a church minister, Brian Shipsides, who was prepared to abuse his position and the trust placed in him by the Church and his community."

"I hope this case sends out a message that we will not tolerate abuse of our immigration system.

"Those who facilitate sham marriages are breaking the law and will be held accountable for their actions - no matter who they are."

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