Two Czech women face prison for staging sham marriages at Middlesbrough Register Office

Zdenka Sudikova, 22, and her friend Katerina Gabaravo, 27, were found guilty today (Friday, January 9) following a four-day trial at Teesside Crown Court.

The court heard how the registrar had suspicions about the odd couples - Czech women and Algerian men - long before the comical ceremonies.

The brides could not speak Arabic, the grooms knew no Czech, nobody had decent English and there was no affection shown between any of them.

Immigration officers arrested Sudikova and Mahret Benbetka, 28, after they tied the knot at Middlesbrough register office in September 2013.

Gabarova and Fateh El Fiad, 38, had booked their wedding at the same venue for a fortnight later - and went ahead despite the set-back.

They were also detained by investigators who were - like on the earlier occasion - alerted to an apparent sham by staff at the civic office.

Prosecutor David Brooke told the court that the story of the second couple was "farcical" as El Fiad did not know his bride's full name.

On both occasions, said Mr Brooke, the couples seemed to have been "coached" on personal details and "could not answer questions freely".

He told the jury during the trial this week: "They did not communicate, nor was there any interaction or affection witnessed between them."

Sudikova, of Abbingdon Road, and Gabarova, of Ayresome Park Road, both Middlesbrough, were convicted of assisting an unlawful immigrant.

The men - who went on the run part-way through their trial - were found guilty in their absence of illegally obtaining leave to remain in the UK.

The judge, Recorder Henry Prosser, told the women: "It does seem to me that the defendants face immediate custodial sentences.

"The men have not been found and brought to court. They can be sentenced in their absence at the same time as the two women."

The women were remanded into custody, and will be sentenced by Mr Recorder Prosser at Newcastle Crown Court on February 13.