Vicar guilty of 360 sham weddings (From The Argus)
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Vicar guilty of 360 sham weddings
1:57pm Thursday 29th July 2010 in
A vicar was found guilty today of conducting hundreds of sham marriages to help illegal immigrants gain residency in Britain.
The Reverend Alex Brown, 61, conducted 360 fake ceremonies at the church of St Peter and St Paul in St Leonards between July 2005 and July 2009.
Co-defendent Vladymyr Buchak was also convicted at Lewes Crown Court of conspiring to breach immigration laws by paying Eastern Europeans up to £3,000 each to marry Africans, mainly from Nigeria.
They were caught after the UK Border Agency investigated the bogus marriages.
The jury is still deliberating on a third defendant.
During the seven-week trial, jurors heard that Brown presided over a total of 383 marriages during the four-year indictment period, a staggering 30-fold increase on the 13 he had conducted over the previous four years.
They were told that Buchak, 33, a Ukrainian national who had himself been living illegally in the UK since at least 2004, was responsible for "cajoling and persuading" the Eastern Europeans into the marriages of convenience.
He preyed on migrant workers who were living in the area and were desperate to earn money by offering them large cash sums to wed Africans to allow them to obtain the documents to live and work in the UK.
Brown was arrested on June 30 last year following a joint investigation by Sussex Police and the UK Border Agency, and both his vicarage home in Blomfield Road, St Leonards- on-Sea, and the church were searched.
Outside the court, the Archdeacon of Lewes and Hastings, Philip Jones, said Brown had committed a "betrayal of trust" towards his congregation and the wider community.
He said: "We are particularly sorry for those who have been deceived and hurt by the actions of Father Alex Brown. The church and the community of St Leonards-on-Sea are faced with a betrayal of trust on the part of Father Alex Brown.
"The Diocese of Chichester sets high standards and expects its clergy not only to comply with the law but also to honour the trust placed in them at their ordination and the promises made on becoming a vicar.
"We are saddened that a priest in Chichester Diocese has found himself in this position and we are conscious of the effect on the Church of St Peter and St Paul, St Leonards-on-Sea, and the concern caused to those who have in the past been properly married at that church."
He added that Brown, who was suspended from his duties after his arrest, may now face disciplinary action from the Church.
Comments(18)
fab5482
says...
2:47pm Thu 29 Jul 10
hunningham cunningham
says...
2:48pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Whitedot
says...
4:41pm Thu 29 Jul 10
dixie normous
says...
5:17pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Juan Albion
says...
8:46pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Whitedot wrote:Personally I think it would be better for everyone if we concentrated of deporting ignorant bigots who promote religious hatred as they try to impose their lack of beliefs on everyone else.
Maybe we should deport the rest for peddling their bronze age fairytales.
Iknowmorethanuthink
says...
11:14pm Thu 29 Jul 10
Juan Albion wrote:Instead of 'ignorant bigots', I would choose the words 'intelligent athiests', who are by no means promoting religious hatred but are instead just expressing their right to freedom of speech and expression.
Whitedot wrote:Personally I think it would be better for everyone if we concentrated of deporting ignorant bigots who promote religious hatred as they try to impose their lack of beliefs on everyone else.
Maybe we should deport the rest for peddling their bronze age fairytales.
UglyAmerican
says...
12:11am Fri 30 Jul 10
.
Religion should be hated. It's done more harm to our species than plague & pestilence combined.
.
As for ignorance:
Launching attacks at someone because they don't believe in the same imaginary friend as you do seems to be a wonderful example.
LimpWristed
says...
1:18am Fri 30 Jul 10
Baldseagull
says...
3:30am Fri 30 Jul 10
LimpWristed wrote:You old romantic!
In 50 years time, religious people will be considered mentally ill and treated as such. In the meantime, I don't see how Brown has done any wrong. All marriages are shams, designed to patch up the holes in a failing relationship.
In 50 years time there could be a cure for limp wrists.
stan bailey
says...
7:25am Fri 30 Jul 10
stan bailey
says...
7:25am Fri 30 Jul 10
Da Prof
says...
10:57am Fri 30 Jul 10
The current system allows ministers of the Church of England and the Roman Catholic church to become registrars. All other ministers have to have a registrar or deputy registrat present at the ceremony, and it is they who register the marriage.
Another question arises - why did not the local register office, or the general register office, pick up on the sharp increase in marriages? For four years?
Whitedot
says...
11:14am Fri 30 Jul 10
Juan Albion wrote:'Try to impose' yes, how awful.
Whitedot wrote:Personally I think it would be better for everyone if we concentrated of deporting ignorant bigots who promote religious hatred as they try to impose their lack of beliefs on everyone else.
Maybe we should deport the rest for peddling their bronze age fairytales.
Ever heard of 'Evangelism'.
fulcrum
says...
12:02pm Fri 30 Jul 10
Whitedot wrote:Never trust anyone who wears a massive hat and robes.
Juan Albion wrote:'Try to impose' yes, how awful. Ever heard of 'Evangelism'.Whitedot wrote: Maybe we should deport the rest for peddling their bronze age fairytales.Personally I think it would be better for everyone if we concentrated of deporting ignorant bigots who promote religious hatred as they try to impose their lack of beliefs on everyone else.
cheezburger
says...
12:15pm Fri 30 Jul 10
HF 05
says...
12:32pm Fri 30 Jul 10
No wonder greed and dishonesty is spreading in the UK
Stephen Cattle
says...
2:46pm Fri 30 Jul 10
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Ringmer Rich says...
2:33pm Thu 29 Jul 10