Pinoy bigamist convicted in UK

He is 23 and he’s a bigamist.

Van Dexter Fuentespina, 23, admitted he was already married with a wife and 2 children in the Philippines when he married a French woman on Sept 5, 2011. He said his French bride was unaware he was previously married.

Fuentespina married his first wife in May 2009 in Iloilo City, but did not disclose this when he first entered the United Kingdom in September 2009 and again when he married for a second time in the UK.

He was sentenced on February 29 to 8 months imprisonment, 18 months suspension, and 120 hours community service after he pleaded guilty to charges of bigamy and perjury at an earlier hearing.

Fuentespina admitted 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.

Fuentespina entered the UK on a valid student visa in 2009 and turned himself in at a police station on Dec 1, 2011.

Criminal offense

Ed Mackie, UK border agency regional manager for East Asia said in a press statement, “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.”

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

Information about Fuentespina was confirmed by UK Border Agency officers at the British embassy in Manila. The investigation was carried out by police and UK Border Agency officers both in the UK and the Philippines to investigate organized immigration crime. – Rappler.com