A BRIDE and groom arrested in the middle of their wedding service have admitted the ceremony was a sham, aimed at securing a visa for the groom.

Bride Roqsilmar Marti and her Nigerian groom, Gafar Makanjuola, appeared at Basildon Crown Court and admitted taking part in a bogus wedding at St John the Baptist Church, Tilbury.

The August 25 ceremony was an attempt to secure 32-year-old Makanjuola, formerly of Sycamore Close, Tilbury, the right to live and work in the UK.

It was halted by a sting operation, run by the UK Border Agency.

Standing side by side in the dock, the couple each admitted conspiring to breach UK immigration laws.

The sting was planned after the vicar of St John’s, Father Tim Codling, told police and UK Border Agency officials he suspected the marriage was a sham.

Suspicions were further aroused when inconsistencies emerged with the address Makanjuola gave in his application for a marriage licence.

Officers hid in the vestry and burst in to halt the service as it began, arresting both at the scene.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said when interviewed, Marti, a Dutch national, claimed she met Makanjuola through the internet and they had fallen in love.

It later emerged Marti had been in a relationship with a woman in the Netherlands for eight years, and may have been paid as much as £2,000 to take part in the wedding.

Sam Bullimore, UK Border Agency assistant director, said: “Today’s convictions send a strong message to those thinking of undertaking sham marriages to gain entry to the UK, or seeking to profit from helping others to do so.

“Whether you take part in the marriage or arrange for others to stage fake weddings, we are determined to track down those involved and bring them to justice.”

Makanjuola denied possessing a false identity document with intent and making a false oath to procure a marriage licence. The Crown Prosecution Service is not proceeding with these charges.

Marti and Makanjuola were both remanded in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.