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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Pair admit sham wedding offences | Pair admit sham wedding offences |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| A mother and son from the West Midlands have admitted arranging "sham" marriages for foreign nationals, mainly from Africa and Jamaica. | |
| Patricia Williams, 60, and Jason Williams, 38, of St John's Road, Dudley, pleaded guilty to breaching immigration laws. | Patricia Williams, 60, and Jason Williams, 38, of St John's Road, Dudley, pleaded guilty to breaching immigration laws. |
| Last month, seven people who were related to the pair were sentenced for similar offences. | Last month, seven people who were related to the pair were sentenced for similar offences. |
| The pair will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 4 September. | The pair will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 4 September. |
| West Midlands Police Major Investigations Unit unearthed the scam during covert surveillance of the marriages. | West Midlands Police Major Investigations Unit unearthed the scam during covert surveillance of the marriages. |
| Earlier convictions | Earlier convictions |
| The unit's work revealed a network of people organising sham marriages and the pair's guilty pleas come after seven members of the same family earlier pleaded guilty to similar offences. | The unit's work revealed a network of people organising sham marriages and the pair's guilty pleas come after seven members of the same family earlier pleaded guilty to similar offences. |
| David, 32, Brett, 31, Daniel, 28, Natalie, 26, and Luke, 24, all from Dudley, were sentenced on 19 June to between 12 and 24 months in prison, after admitting facilitating a breach of immigration laws.. | David, 32, Brett, 31, Daniel, 28, Natalie, 26, and Luke, 24, all from Dudley, were sentenced on 19 June to between 12 and 24 months in prison, after admitting facilitating a breach of immigration laws.. |
| Amanda Williams, 35, from Rowley Regis, West Midlands, was given a 12-month suspended sentence and 100 hours' unpaid work. | Amanda Williams, 35, from Rowley Regis, West Midlands, was given a 12-month suspended sentence and 100 hours' unpaid work. |
| West Midlands Police said the six were all involved in sham marriages, between 2004 and 2006, and were paid in cash and drugs for their participation. | West Midlands Police said the six were all involved in sham marriages, between 2004 and 2006, and were paid in cash and drugs for their participation. |
| And Donna Williams, a 37-year-old Jamaican national from Handsworth, Birmingham, who married Daniel, was jailed for 15 months. | And Donna Williams, a 37-year-old Jamaican national from Handsworth, Birmingham, who married Daniel, was jailed for 15 months. |
| Another woman, Dawn Whitehouse, 33, from Dudley, was given a 12-month suspended sentence and two-year supervision order after admitting possession of a counterfeit driving licence. | Another woman, Dawn Whitehouse, 33, from Dudley, was given a 12-month suspended sentence and two-year supervision order after admitting possession of a counterfeit driving licence. |