Dutch woman jailed for part in UK marriage visa scam
December 29 2009 by Liam Clifford
UK immigration facilitate a stiff sentence for woman who attempted to trick authorities.
A
woman from the Netherlands has been jailed for six months after taking
part in a scam marriage that intended to help a non-EU citizen continue
to live in the UK on a UK marriage visa.
Eunice Ridderstap was arrested on 18 July after police acting on
intelligence gathered by UK immigration officials raided Parish Church
of St Albans as Ridderstap was about to marry the illegal immigrant.
The man involved was Vincent Akingbo, a Nigerian national who had previously moved to the UK illegally with Ridderstap.
A UK Border Agency spokesperson said, “this was a serious attempt to
facilitate illegal entry into the UK. Our Immigration Crime Teams
across the West Midlands are cracking down hard on this type of abuse
of our immigration system.” She continued, “we expect foreign nationals
to play by the rules or we will take swift action. This case sends out
a clear message that we will not hesitate to prosecute and deport those
involved in sham marriages.”
The spokesperson said that the ID cards for foreign nationals programme
being introduced for all foreigners living, working or studying in the
UK, will help to prevent such UK immigration crimes in the future.
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