A Ghanaian bride in the UK had a rude awakening when Immigration officials swooped in on her wedding in Portsmouth and arrested her, ruining what should have been her biggest day.
Cecilia Siaw was about to marry her German fiance at Portsmouth’s Register Office in Hants when the wedding was crashed by immigration officials, moments before the ceremony.
Cecilia was already decked out in her wedding gown and her finest jewelry when she was arrested, posing for her mug shot in her that getup.
Cecilia, 45, entered the UK legally in 2009, but her stay was not extended by the Home Office when she sought an extension in 2013. She then proceeded to remain in the country illegally, although she might have believed she was legal because she paid someone £5,000 for documents.
Cecilia had completed her Masters education in the country, and was also working as a care provider.
Prosecutors said she must have known that the man she bought the documents from was a fake, since she met him on a train. She was charged with one count of possession of an identity document with improper intention and one count of knowingly remaining in the UK beyond the time limited by leave to remain. She pleaded guilty to both, and was sentenced to six months in jail.