23-year-old Pinoy bigamist with Pinay, French wives convicted in UK

Published March 1, 2012 5:10pm

A 23-year-old Filipino who married a French woman even though he was already married to a Filipina and had two children was convicted for bigamy in the United Kingdom on Leap Day, February 29. In a news release on Thursday, the British Embassy in Manila said Van Dexter Fuentespina committed bigamy in an attempt to breach the UK’s immigration law. Earlier this week, Fuentespina was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months and 120 hours community service after he pleaded guilty to charges of bigamy and perjury at an earlier hearing.

The embassy said Fuentespina admitted that he already had a wife in the Philippines when he married a French woman on September 5, 2011.

Fuentespina, who entered the UK on a valid student visa, turned himself in at a UK Police Station on December 1, 2011.

He admitted that he had failed to disclose that he already had a wife and two children when he entered the UK in September 2009. When he got married in the UK, his French bride was unaware that he was already married, Fuentespina said.

Checks carried out by UK Border Agency officers at the British Embassy in Manila confirmed that Fuentespina married his first wife in May 2009 in Iloilo City in the Philippines.

Fuentespina also admitted that his main reason for marrying the French woman was to apply for residency in the UK which would have allowed him to work and claim benefits there.

Reminder from UK Embassy

Ed Mackie, UK Border Agency Regional Manager, East Asia said:

“We encourage all Filipinos who wish to travel to the UK to visit, work or study to do so legally and comply with the conditions of their visa. Entering the UK under false representations is illegal, and bigamy is a criminal offense. Anyone who has information on suspected immigration offenders can visit http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/contact/report-crime/

“Our message could not be clearer — we will not tolerate immigration abuse and we will take decisive action against those involved.” - VVP, GMA News

Tags: unitedkingdom, pinoysinuk