Vicar to appeal 'nonsense' jail term

The 61-year-old vicar is understood to have lodged an appeal against both the conviction and the four year jail term imposed this week.

Vladymyr Buchak does not plan to appeal, but it is unclear yet whether Michael Adelasoye will challenge his sentence.

A source close to the UK Borders Agency said the organisation was "satisfied" with the sentences handed down to the three men by Judge Richard Hayward.

At Monday's hearing, prosecutor David Walbank drew the court's attention to a 2005 case which saw ringleader Desmond Woghiren jailed for nine years for arranging at least 126 fake weddings, compared to the 360 in this case.

But all three defence barristers stressed that whereas the earlier scam was a massive money-making exercise estimated to have netted the organisers some 3 million, there was little evidence of financial motives in the St Peter's case.

But for local Liberal Democrat campaigner Nick Perry, four years was far too long a sentence, particularly for Rev Brown.

Mr Perry said: "If you type 'jailed for four years' into Google you come across stories of stabbings, granny-bashing and paedophilia.

Whilst Alex Brown has acted illegally and with stupidity this sentence does not make sense in relative terms.

"Sentencing policy is a shorthand for the kind of society we are trying to create. (Justice Minister) Ken Clarke clearly has his work cut out if judges believe Alex Brown's sentence is a good use of hundreds of thousands of taxpayers pounds, when violent offenders are getting similar sentences, and public services are facing severe cuts."