UK sham marriage rules 'breach rights'

A test case involved a practising Catholic couple living in Londonderry – Nigerian national Osita Chris Iwu and his wife Sinead O'Donoghue, who has dual British and Irish nationality,

They were described by the European Court of Human Rights yesterday as "clearly in a long-standing and permanent relationship".

But the judges heard how, having decided to marry, they ran foul of the Home Office approval scheme, which does not apply to Church of England marriages.

In a unanimous verdict the judges said the UK was entitled to set "reasonable" conditions to weed our marriages of convenience but said they had "grave concerns" about the vetting scheme and the unjustified different treatment for Church of England weddings.