Bigamy: What Would You Do If You Were a Victim?

HOW PREVALENT IS BIGAMY IN THE UK? 

I’ve known two people over my lifetime who were innocent victims of this.  In their cases, it seemed to many to be a relatively “harmless” crime since in their cases the men were no longer living with or having conjugal rights with their legal spouses.  However, it isn’t a victimless crime really as the women were traumatised by this and moreso their children suffered as a result of them ending the bigamous relationships.  Their feeling of betrayal, their anger at having been deceived, and the fact that they could no longer trust men who had lied to them had an impact on them and on some of their extended family.  It was hurtful to say the least.  The aftermath had them thinking of what would have happened if they had lived out their married lives not knowing, only to find out at the end of their husband’s lives they would not be entitled to any Widows Benefits, Funeral Grants, the contents of their Joint Bank Accounts, a Pension based on their husband’s National Insurance Payments, and even the contents of their own home or the house itself,  but the legal wife would.  Scary, isn’t it?  So much to lose if they get off with it.

THE LAWS ON BIGAMY IN THE UK:

Bigamy comes under the PUBLIC NUISANCE category in Law.  This is covered by Section 57 Offences Against the Persons Act 1861.  The maximum penalty for proven bigamy in a UK court is 7 years imprisonment, a fine or both.  The court takes into consideration mitigating factors such as level of injury caused and deliberate avoidance of immigration.  The second factor is one worthy of consideration.

THE PEOPLE I KNEW WHO WERE IN BIGAMOUS MARRIAGES WERE MARRIED TO PEOPLE WHO WERE FROM THEIR OWN COUNTRY

That is something that the system now needs to look at.  I have to wonder if I turned up at a Register office with my birth certificate, would they do any checks of any kind on whether I was married or not?  Do they rely on certificates presented or do they do checks?

DELIBERATE AVOIDANCE OF IMMIGRATION:

There are people who come into UK from countries where Polygamy is legal and because they are allowed more than one wife in their own country and they are unfamiliar with the laws about bigamy in UK they think it is okay to take on a wife in UK.  When they do, they deliberately keep them in the dark about the other wife or wives as they know UK women expect to be one wife of one husband.  PROBLEM their wives wonder why they can’t go visit their husbands families, why they don’t call, why none of their family in UK came to their wedding, sent a card or gift.  Alarm bells ring!  They don’t have residency and want it.  Who can be so heartless that they don’t understand that people in less privileged countries would want to emigrate, to get out of that poverty rut, to find a better life in another country?  God only knows, I was a “Ten Pound Pom” and emigrated to Australia on an Assisted Passage in the 1970s and can really understand why people would want out and to be in a better place.  I have a hard time getting my head round why anyone would want to put themselves through the stress of leading a double life, the constant double dealing, the constant lying and deceiving knowing that they could be caught out at any time.