‘My bigamist boyfriend tricked me into marrying him in Africa’

She wore it on her birthday a few days later, believing she was going to a party. But she soon discovered that the big event was her own marriage – and there was nothing romantic about it. Her boyfriend threatened to leave her stranded in Africa if she refused to go through with it. Only […]

She wore it on her birthday a few days later, believing she was going to a party.

But she soon discovered that the big event was her own marriage – and there was nothing romantic about it.

Her boyfriend threatened to leave her stranded in Africa if she refused to go through with it.

Only after reluctantly agreeing did 28-year-old Miss Stead discover that her ‘husband’ was already married to a Gambian woman and had two children.

Yesterday, as he was jailed, she told how she had been targeted by a serial conman as a means to live legitimately in the UK.

Miss Stead, a carer from Bridlington, East Yorkshire, met Ahmed Jobe, 31, at a nightclub in the seaside town in 2006.

He told her he worked for BT and she quickly fell in love, ignoring her parents’ concerns.

Within months, she eagerly accepted an invitation to spend a two-week holiday with his family in his West African homeland.

A few days later she found herself at her ‘surprise’ wedding. Alone and vulnerable, she felt she had no option but to go ahead with the short ceremony.

She said: ‘I just froze. He told me if I didn’t co-operate he was going to leave me there. I didn’t see any way out because he had my passport and I didn’t know where I was.

‘I felt completely isolated. I didn’t know what to do. He knew that I didn’t have anywhere to go in Gambia and that I didn’t know anyone and couldn’t speak the language. I was stuck.’

The couple returned to the UK and lived at Jobe’s house in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, sleeping in separate bedrooms until she had the courage to walk out of the bigamous relationship.

‘I just couldn’t believe what had happened to me, I was so ashamed I had been conned and frightened that I didn’t tell anyone about the marriage, none of my friends or my family,’ she said.

‘I’m just glad it’s all over now and I can move on. I would urge all women to be careful about who they trust. This has been a nightmare and it has been hard to learn to trust people again.’

Yesterday Jobe was jailed for four years and three months at Leeds Crown Court.

He was earlier found guilty of ten fraud charges, perverting the course of justice and perjury.

The court heard Jobe entered the country as a student and overstayed when his visa expired in 2001.

He soon became involved in a range of fraudulent activities. Prosecutor Andrew Dallas said Jobe’s case was one of ‘sustained dishonesty, subterfuge and manipulation, met by fantastic explanations that don’t stand up to any scrutiny whatsoever’.

Using a variety of false identities he fooled banks, immigration officials and police. Under the name Carl Davies he cheated his way into obtaining a £54,950 mortgage. He also used false documents to get a £12,260 loan from the HSBC bank.

Despite separating from Miss Stead in 2007 he told a Home Office official that they were still together and was approved for indefinite residency.

But Jobe was arrested at his home in November 2008 and police found a stash of faked identity documents.

He is eligible for deportation on completion of his sentence.