Diaspora News of Wednesday, 27 July 2016

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ghanaian woman arrested on her wedding day in UK

Cecilia Siaw Cecilia Siaw

Cecilia Siaw, a 45-year-old Ghanaian woman living in the UK was swooped by police moments before her wedding for immigration offences, according to The Mirror.

She was walked out of the ceremony where she was due to marry her German fiancé at Portsmouth Register Office, Hants.

Siaw was accused of using fake identification documents after she overstayed her leave to remain in the UK following her legitimate entry in 2009 as a qualified teacher.

She allegedly bought some dubious documents from a man who claimed to work for the Home Office after the department refused to extend her leave to remain in 2013.

Prosecutor James Kellam said: “[during an interview with her] she claimed she bought the document from a man on a train in circumstances which must have alerted her to the document being either false or improperly obtained.”

“I say that because the man from whom she bought the document, she says, claimed to work for the Home Office and the defendant said she paid £5,000 for a leave to remain document.”

Cecilia Siaw has consequently been sentenced to six months in prison.