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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Vicar on 'sham marriages' charge | Vicar on 'sham marriages' charge |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A vicar has been charged following an inquiry into allegations of "sham marriages" at an East Sussex church. | A vicar has been charged following an inquiry into allegations of "sham marriages" at an East Sussex church. |
| Rev Alex Brown, 60, of Blomfield Road, St Leonards, was the vicar at St Peter and St Paul Church in the town. | Rev Alex Brown, 60, of Blomfield Road, St Leonards, was the vicar at St Peter and St Paul Church in the town. |
| The UK Border Agency joint immigration crime team charged him with conspiring to facilitate unlawful entry to the UK. | The UK Border Agency joint immigration crime team charged him with conspiring to facilitate unlawful entry to the UK. |
| He was also charged with solemnising a church marriage without banns being published. Mr Brown will appear at Hastings Magistrates Court on Thursday. | |
| Another man and woman have been bailed pending further enquiries and a fourth man remains in custody. | Another man and woman have been bailed pending further enquiries and a fourth man remains in custody. |
| A spokesman for the Chichester diocese said the vicar had been suspended from his duties pending the outcome of the investigation. | A spokesman for the Chichester diocese said the vicar had been suspended from his duties pending the outcome of the investigation. |