Sham wedding vicar jailed for four years

St Leonards trio Rev Alex Brown, 61, of Blomfield Road, Michael Adelasoye, of St Matthew's Drive and Vladymyr Buchak, 33, of Anglesea Terrace, were each sentenced to four years in prison after organising 360 bogus weddings at St Peter's Church, off Bohemia Road.

Between 2005 and 2009, Buchak recruited hard-up eastern European women to marry Africans advised by the lawyer Adelasoye, and up to eight sham couples a day were married by the Rev Brown. The Africans would then use the weddings to apply for permission to stay in this country.

In July, all three were found guilty at Lewes Crown Court of conspiring to facilitate a breach of UK immigration laws, and they were sentenced at a two hour hearing on Monday.

Judge Richard Hayward said: "When (prosecutor) David Walbank introduced this case to the jury he described it as 'a massive and cynical immigration fraud' and he was right to do so. The court cannot overlook the sheer scale of the conspiracy."

To Brown, he said: "Your role was vital. Without you this conspiracy could never have come into effect. The couples involved in these marriages beat a path to St Peter's because they knew and you knew what was going on and you were happy to play your part.

"When you were arrested the marriages stopped overnight," he added.

He said he was sentencing Brown with a "heavy heart" and said he had hoped both Brown and Adelasoye might say they were motivated by a humanitarian desire to help others.

Of both men Judge Hayward said: "It is extremely sad to see two people who have undoubtedly contributed much to the local community stand convicted of such a serious offence."

Of Adelasoye, the judge said he had a ready supply of African clients and members of his congregation at the Ark of Hope, Marina, where he was a pastor.

Judge Hayward said: "In an unguarded moment in your evidence you said the immigration laws were racist. You did qualify that but you had little doubt your clients and those who looked to you for help should remain in the Uk whatever the cost.

"As a solicitor your first duty was to the law and your involvement in the conspiracy was a very serious breach of your professional duty."

Buchak came to the UK from the Ukraine in 2004 and had been living under the fake identity of Kaedo Maesalu. His barrister Julian Dale pointed out his client was a devoted family man who was not a 'Mr Big' in the operation.

But Judge Hayward said: "Mr Dale has sought to minimise your role suggesting you were nothing more than a gopher for others. I do not sentence you on such a limited basis.

"Your motive was money. You were making sufficient from these activities to make it worthwhile taking the risks you took."

Buchak was sentenced to an extra nine months in prison for using a fake passport, to run concurrently with his four year term. He will receive credit for the 431 days he has already spent in custody. He is likely to be deported back to the Ukraine when he has served his sentence, and Mr Dale said his client, who fled the country after being threatened in 2004, feared for his life on his return.

Father Brown received a five month sentence having admitted failing to read out the banns of marriage. This too will run concurrently to his four years. He looked glumly at a tearful friend in the packed public gallery as he was led away to the cells.