Exclusive: Bogus brides scam fixer is arrested after police swoop

Continued...
The wedding planner married herself off at least once to an African seeking a UK passport, in 2006.

She followed that up by persuading her own daughter Amanda - a new mum - to walk down the aisle with an African stranger.

Cathie, who has gone by several different names, topped the lot by being a witness at the wedding of her own live-in lover, "Shellsuit" Bob Tweedie.

The extent of her fake weddings scam was uncovered by the Record after we were tipped off by staff at register offices.

They had been horrified to see Cathie repeatedly turn up in various roles at obviously fake ceremonies.

She set up meetings, acted as a witness, took wedding photos and even arranged the flowers.

Some of the brides said the ceremonies were so obviously fake, it made them cringe.

We made our evidence available to the UK Border Agency, who took decisive action this week.

The scam centres on African men who have won temporary leave to study in Britain or seek asylum.

An African fixer finds a bride for them, through Cathie, and arrangements are made at one of a number of register offices used by the fraudsters.

After two years, the Africans are entitled to apply for their own permanent UK passport and are free to divorce their bogus bride or groom.

They could then go on to marry other women, possibly also gaining their new wives UK passports.

Several of the brides ended up out of pocket and stuck in an illegal marriage. In some cases, Cathie and her partners took all the cash after making the women pay for their own dress and rings.

They also took passports from their victims, using them to claim housing benefit and enable further dodgy deals.

The passports were never returned to the women, who were mainly recruited from the Tarfside Oval estate.

Cathie met at least one of the brides at Mackie's chemist, in Paisley Road West, where addicts would go for methadone.

Now the Africans involved in Cathie's racket face deportation.

Cathie is believed to have made her first contact with the African crooks at least 15 years ago, when she married a Moroccan man in 1993. It is not known when that marriage ended.

Her daughter Amanda, 27, who lives on benefits, was persuaded into taking part in the fraud as she had a baby on the way and was looking for cash for Christmas.

She was too ashamed to admit what she had done to her long-term boyfriend and recently became engaged to him.

The Record also told how Cathie flew into a fury when disabled Julie Martin had second thoughts. She left single mum Julie, 37, fearing her life was at risk from the African gangsters involved in the scam.

Gambian Lamin Manneh was brought to justice in May this year when he was given two years in prison for running a similar scam.

Manneh pocketed at least £500-a-time for luring prostitutes, drug addicts and other skint women into sham ceremonies in Scotland.

Last night, a spokeswoman for the UK Border Agency said: "We can confirm that a 47-year-old woman has been arrested in relation to offences under the Immigration Act. A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal."

The scale of sham marriages in the UK is unclear, although registrars believe there could be at least 10,000 a year.

Registrars in Brent Council in north London suggested in 2005 that a fifth of all marriages there were bogus.

Cathie made at least £1000 a time for arranging weddings.End.

"She should pay for what she had done. Marriage is a sacrament and should be done a sacred manner."

Exclusive: Bogus brides scam fixer is arrested after police swoop

By Mark McGivern

A WEDDING fixer who earned thousands by setting up fake marriages in a scam with African gangsters has been arrested in a dramatic raid.

Janet Cathie was led away in handcuffs by the UK Border Agency and Strathclyde Police.

And when she saw a Record reporter as she was frogmarched out of the building, she screamed at him: "Not you again - I don't f****** believe it."

Cathie was later released and a report will be sent to prosecutors who will determine whether she should face charges.

The bust came after a series of articles by the Record exposed the huge fake bride racket in Scotland.

Cathie, 47, set up at least eight fake weddings, including her own, her live-in boyfriend's and her daughter's. She is suspected of having a hand in many more.

She operated at tough Tarfside Oval estate in Pollok, Glasgow, rounding up skint single mums and drug addicts she could bully into signing up for fake ceremonies.

Cathie coined in at least £1000 a time for arranging the weddings and took a double fee by appearing as a witness at several ceremonies in registry offices in Glasgow and Paisley.

Some of the vulnerable women who were roped into the scheme were promised £2000 - but ended up with nothing.

One woman who got cold feet over marrying a Ghanaian man was told she would be shot by African crooks if she pulled out.

Cathie even short-changed her own daughter Amanda McCourt, giving her only half of the promised £2000 wedding fee.

The weddings were set up by an African Mr Big, who typically took cash raised by the families of Ghanaian students to set them up with partners.

The scam generally involved both partners meeting up to exchange cursory details on each other's lives before the ceremonies, which were described as "laughably" fake by insiders.

Cathie was a close associate of Lamin Manneh, an African who was jailed for two years at Paisley Sheriff Court earlier this year for operating a parallel scam.

Brazen Cathie recruited most of her bogus brides after meeting them through their shared dependency on the heroin substitute methadone.

The penniless former heroin addicts were promised easy cash or threatened and bullied into marrying Ghanaian strangers.Continued...

A wedding Cinderella would love

Continued...
The Proposal: Mike got the idea for his proposal from something Kristen had said when they first started dating. "She told me a romantic story about her parents and a blue moon," and how a wish made on a blue moon will come true. Fortunately for the couple, a blue moon would pass through the evening sky on May 31, 2007. Mike invited Kristen to a fancy dinner that night at Disneyland's Napa Rose restaurant. Mike had been to the restaurant earlier that day. "I had dropped off the ring and coordinated everything with the wonderful staff." After their entrees, they moved to the restaurant's outdoor fireplace for dessert. "As we sat out there, I said some romantic things about the blue moon. I thought I was being very romantic; Kristen just thought I was tipsy from the glass of wine I had with dinner - after all, why would I ever want to leave the table before finishing the meal?" Things started making sense to Kristen when their waiter brought two glasses of sparkling wine, and then the ring box on a tray with rose petals.

The Big Day: Appropriately, the couple were married at the beautiful Rose Court Garden at the Disneyland Hotel on Aug. 3. Kristen's bridesmaids wore sage green dresses in a style of their choosing from the Ann Taylor Celebration collection, while the junior bridesmaid and flower girl wore pink. The groom, his groomsmen, and the ring bearer wore tuxedos, while the bride wore a beaded bodice gown with sweetheart neckline and yards of tulle.

Kristen's father gave her away to a string quartet's rendition of "Someday My Prince Will Come" from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

Let's Party: The dinner reception was held at the Sequoia Ballroom at the Grand California Hotel. Guests found their table assignments by locating their names on embroidered Mickey Mouse ear place cards. In keeping with the theme, dinner was served with Disney flare. Waiters served the food to the tune of "Be Our Guest" from "Beauty and the Beast." The couple enjoyed their first dance to Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love with You." Kristen's father even delighted the crowd, and shocked family and friends, by actually stepping onto the dance floor for the father-and-daughter dance to The Beatles' "All You Need is Love."

Another reception was held in Vacaville, at the Hampton Inn & Suites on Aug. 9.

Home: The couple honeymooned on a Disney Cruise, and are now making their home in Irvine. End.

"The wedding was fabulous. I believe everybody enjoyed. The couple is very blessed to have wedding like that."

A wedding Cinderella would love

K. Suihkonen and M. Pucher. ... living in Irvine (Kirsten Ellis/kirstenellis.com)
Meet: Kristen Suihkonen and Mike Pucher. Kristen is the daughter of Andy and Denise Suihkonen of Vacaville. Mike is the son of Michael and Karen Pucher of Redondo Beach.

Mike is a graduate of Torrance's South High School and Santa Barbara's Brooks Institute of Photography, and is now a photographer for Honda R&D in Torrance. Kristen graduated from Vacaville High School and the University of California, Irvine, and is now a senior accountant for Haskell & White in Irvine.

How They Met: In the summer of 2004, Kristin was a student at Irvine and was attending an orientation for a part-time job at Disneyland. Mike, also a college student at the time, was one of the orientation leaders that day. After spotting Kristen in line, Mike asked a co-worker if he could switch orientation groups, so he could get a chance to talk to her. His cooperative co-worker helped change his life, Mike says.

Dating: The two talked and eventually traded e-mail addresses that day. Shortly after, they agreed to meet for a date, to see "Cinderella," as performed by the Royal Ballet of London at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Traffic delays forced them to cancel their pre-performance dinner plans, but they grabbed a quick bite instead and "we both had a great time," Mike recalls. They dated for three years before Mike decided to propose. His family had already figured out he had found his soulmate in Kristen, especially when she became the only person to beat him in Trivial Pursuit.Continued...

Trinny and husband can't hide their misery after divorce announcement

Continued...
'It's been very tearful and painful for them,' said a friend of the couple. 'It was taking longer and longer to make up after their arguments and eventually they took an inevitable toll.

'They've always been enormously committed and tried hard to overcome differences. But ultimately they couldn't. It's a raw and emotional time and they're being supported by friends and family. Their main priority is the children's welfare.

'They have both had problems in the past which are well documented. But the marriage difficulties have nothing to do with lifestyle issues. It is about two people not getting on as well as they did. There is absolutely no one else involved.'

Trinny - who rose to stardom with Susannah Constantine in shows like the BBC's What Not To Wear and ITV's Trinny And Susannah Undress - has told how she and entrepreneur Johnny have weathered storms in their relationship in the past.

'You have to keep talking to each other. Johnny and I had to deal with a difficult stage. But we now have a "business meeting" where we talk about our issues.,' she said.

During their marriage Trinny suffered two miscarriages and had nine IVF attempts before their daughter was born.

Two years ago, Elichaoff ended up in a California rehabilitation clinic to beat a dependence on prescription painkillers. He became hooked on them following 20 operations after a motorbike crash.

Trinny has also been through rehab for alcoholism from which she suffered from her late teens until she was 26 and still attends Alcoholics Anonymous.End.

"Marriage involves sacrifices. If its necessary, we should give up our work to provide the relationship with the amount of time it needs in order to grow. It's really sad to hear couples opting for divorce."

Trinny and husband can't hide their misery after divorce announcement

By Richard Simpson

TV fashion guru Trinny Woodall and her husband cut miserable figures today following the announcement of their divorce.

Woodall, 44, split from businessman Johnny Elichaoff, 48, after a string of arguments about her burgeoning work load.

The couple first started having relationship difficulties four months ago and have been to marriage guidance counselling in a bid to put their troubles behind them.
But despite desperate efforts, they have now called it a day.

Woodall will continue to live in the couple's £2 million property in London's fashionable Notting Hill with their four-year-old daughter Lyla and Elichaoff's son Zak.

Elichaoff, who is planning to move out within weeks, cut a sombre figure as he left home today. His day went from bad to worse when, out and about in his wife's pink Mini Cooper, he received a parking ticket.

A spokesman for Woodall told the Mail last night: 'We can confirm that the couple have sadly decided to separate. For the sake of their children, they ask that their privacy is respected at this time'.

In recent months, Trinny has been prone to arrive at fashion events without her wedding ring and rumours of troubles in the marriage have been rife since the early summer.

In May, the Mail was told by Trinny's representatives at there were no problems in the marriage. However, just weeks later, it was reported that cracks were forming in relationship.

Close friends say that the relationship has been struggling for months under the weight of recovering alcoholic Trinny's heavy work commitments.Continued...

"This is sad."

"Hello is as important to me as my wedding day"- Chetan Bhagat

Continued...
Your first and most popular book Five Point Someone is being adapted into 3 Idiots by Rajkumar Hirani...How did that deal happen?
During the release of my second book, I happened to meet Raju. He was working on Lage Raho Munnabhai at that time. I gave him my first book and he said he won't be able to read it until his film finishes. However, in a few weeks the Mumbai cloudburst happened and Raju was locked in at home with my book. He read it and called me down to Mumbai. The rest we all know. As you can see, the terrible cloudburst became a divine intervention for me.

Have you also written the story/ screenplay for 3 Idiots?
No, I am not involved in the adaptation process. Raju has a great team (the Munnabhai team) and I trust him. Raju is adding a lot to the story and so it is better he works on it. Also, I'd rather do a new story than stay on with my old works.

You have two of the biggest stars Aamir and Salman starring in two films based on your books...you surely must be a happy man...any other actors on your wish list.
I am a happy man anyway as my readers have given me more than I deserve. Having the two Khans is great and glamorous, and will make my story reach more people. No desire to work with any particular actor as such - as long as they are competent and good human beings, I'd love to work with them.

Are there any plans for filming your third and most recent book 3 Mistakes of my life?
No plans as of yet. Many offers but I cannot say anything until I experience the full Bollywood cycle with Hello's release. '3 Mistakes' has a big scope as it tackles tough issues, so will make sure a competent team is in place.

Coming back to your first love, writing...could you tell your million fans what are you currently working on for your next book and when should it be out by?
I won't reveal any details on my fourth book. Suspense is an author's biggest weapon. I have a script to finish after Hello releases, and then will work on the fourth book. I am hoping to have it out by 2010.

How do you manage juggling time between a fulltime top corporate job, your profession as a writer and now as a screenplay writer?
I am good at multitasking, and I only write when inspiration comes. At other times, I am in office. Still, it is difficult. But just as a working mother who commutes two hours and looks after her kids at home - I somehow manage.

Books are often the best way to spend time...so what does Chetan Bhagat do in his spare time? Are you an avid reader yourself and what do you like reading?
I like to read, but not when I am in the middle of writing something. I read a lot of bestsellers. I also love spending time with my twin boys. I went for my first PTA meeting as a parent last week and the teacher praised them both. I was sort of disappointed as I like naughty kids. My parents were always embarrassed to go to PTA meetings.

In the few months that you have been in Bollywood, how has the experience been?
It has been a good experience overall, though there are highs and lows. There is a lot to navigate, a lot of people to convince and hard to keep grounded through it all. And yet, you are working on creating something beautiful that all the hard work and frustration seems worth it. Still, for me the attraction of Bollywood is not the glamour but the stage it provides me to channel my thoughts to the people of my country. Let's see if I get to keep my place on this stage.

Are you a big fan of Bollywood films? In recent times (this year, last year etc.) which films have you enjoyed watching?
I am a huge fan of Bollywood films. I am so into them that there is a censor certificate before my dreams at night. But aren't all Indians? In the last two years, I've loved Taare Zameen Par, Namastey London, Khuda Kay Liye, Om Shanti Om and Partner (huge Salman/ Govinda bias I admit).

Being a writer yourself which writers' work do you admire most in Bollywood among the current lot?
I have always found Mr. Gulzar to be an inspiration, as he does books as well as scripts. In fact, we share the same publisher (Rupa & Co). Among the current crop, I like Jaideep Sahni, Anurag Kashyap, Prasoon Joshi and Raju Hirani's writing.

Finally Hello opens across cinema halls this week. Why do you think audiences should shell out 200 bucks on a ticket when they have already read the book and know what's in store?
All I'd say is my fans and Salman's fans are different from other fans. It's an emotional relationship and they treat us like a big brother. And if your big brother is getting married, do you need a reason to come? Hello's release is as important to me as my wedding day. So our fans know what they have to do. For the rest, all I can say is you'll have super fun in the theatre and come out a more self-confident person. And a few million people have loved the story. Is that reason enough?End.

Source

"Hello is as important to me as my wedding day"- Chetan Bhagat

Continued...
The film is directed by Atul Agnihotri. His first film as a director Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha bombed at the B.O. Does it bother you?
I had discussed Atul's past film before I gave him the rights. However, he is a non-egoistic person who had a very good idea of why his first film bombed. First, he had scripted it when he isn't much of a writer. Second, he had chosen to make what he thought will work with the trade rather than what genuinely moved him. I did several gruelling interviews with him and told him that under no circumstances can I embarrass my readers. He answered each and every question. He is well educated - from Sydenham college and he has trained under Mahesh Bhatt as an asst. director for five years. In fact, he never planned to be an actor - he just had a chance casting in Sir. He read the book twenty five times and knew it better than me. He wanted me to be fully involved at every stage and write the entire script, screenplay and dialogues. Finally, he told me "If Shyam, who is a loser in your book, can come back and achieve his full potential and deserves a second chance, why can't I?" The fire in his eyes at that point told me the film belonged to him.

In the West, it's quite common for films to be made on popular books / novels. This trend has not been seen so often in Bollywood. Why so??
Because Bollywood is still evolving. There was a relatively set formula in earlier years of making a film work which wasn't so dependent on the script. Today, the script is critical and the money at stake is huge. To avoid creating time bombs, it is a lot better to invest in a tested story than special effects. Hollywood knows this, and Bollywood is learning its lesson the hard way. Of course, the other issue is Indian literature tended to be extremely high brow and not popular, so making popular films with such books was out of question.

People often feel that a film can never have the same effect / magic as the book Do you agree with that?
I agree, it can't have the same magic. But it can have its own magic. A well made film on a book is a treat - for readers to relive the story and for non-readers as they will be assured of a tight plot on screen.

Hello has six principal characters...Could you tell us something about them...Describe them in one line each
The six characters are Shyam, who is having a breakup with Priyanka; Esha, who wants to be a model; Vroom, a hot-headed yet fun guy who likes Esha; Radhika, an overworked housewife and Military Uncle, a retired army man who now works in a call center. The six of them are having the worst night of their life.

Salman Khan makes a guest appearance in the film...yet the film is being promoted as a Salman Khan film...do you think it is fair?
I don't think Hello is being promoted purely as a Salman Khan film. It is very clear that Hello is One Night @ the Call Center and we have millions of readers who already know what role Salman is playing in the film. I also feel Salman's role is important to the story (it is the role I play in the book, so it is obviously important!). So in a way, it is more than a guest appearance anyway. My readers/audience have made me, they trust me and I plan to have a longer innings in Bollywood - so misrepresenting to them would be unthinkable.

How has it been working with the 'Khan-daan'? Salman - Sohail- Arbaaz etc?
The Khan-daan is pretty cool. I have seen them over two years now, and I must say they are really blessed to have a family so bonded with each other. They are simple, straightforward, emotional people, and if they like you, they will go all out for you. The head of the family (Salim Khan) is a writer, so they give a lot of respect to writers. So I had a great time with them.

How involved were you during the making of the film?
I was involved in all stages. Atul drove me mad on the script. He kept making me revise it, he'd say, "It's great, but I know if you look at it one more time, it will only get better." I liked being challenged that way, rather than everyone nodding their heads because I was a bestselling author. Even later, Atul would show me set designs, song samples, and rushes to make sure I was happy with it. I tried to be on sets as much as possible. Otherwise, he would give me shoot updates at the end of the day. He'd say "That joke came out so funny even the light man laughed during the take." Hello is our baby, really!!!

Is Hello targeted at the metros and multiplexes or will it find its audience even in smaller towns and single screens?
I think herein lies the surprise factor. The trade believes Hello is mainly a metro/multiplex film. However, the Bollywood trade is not aware that my books sell a lot in smaller towns. Around sixty percent of my fan mail is from smaller cities. So I think it will go beyond the multiplexes. Of course, the Salman Khan factor will help in single screen business too.

Is there a need / scope for songs in a film like Hello?
Yes...in fact I insisted on it. The book is very emotional, and music is a good way to express emotions. Of course, you can't have eight songs in a book about one night. We have three songs, and they fit into the story or are played in the backdrop. Also, the book is considered a fun book, and we wanted to make a fun movie. Where's the fun in taking Salman Khan and not having his bare-chested song in the film?

The film has been in the making for a while...Why the delay?
The two main reasons are we wanted to get the script absolutely right, so we took a year in adaptation. Secondly, there are a lot of actors in the film, and matching their dates and night schedules took a lot of time. There are no marks for coming first in filmmaking. You need to make the film right.Continued...

"Hello is as important to me as my wedding day"- Chetan Bhagat

By: Nikhil Ramsubramaniam

Multi-faceted and incredibly talented are words that best describe Chetan Bhagat. An alumnus of the prestigious IIT-Delhi and IIM-A, Chetan slowly and steadily grew up the corporate ladder to become a successful investment banker. However, he came into the limelight as the author of the international best-seller Five Point Someone followed by another best-seller One Night @ the Call Centre. The latter became so popular that there were many offers to adapt it into a motion picture. Finally, Chetan received an offer (which he couldn't refuse) from actor-director Atul Agnihotri who wanted to make One Night @ the Call Centre into a film and this was how Hello came up. With Hello set to hit the screens this week, Chetan opens up to us in this exclusive interview and talks about his first cinematic experience as the story/screenplay writer of Hello,his bonding with the 'Khan-daan' and how he manages to juggle his time between investment banking, writing bestsellers and scripting Bollywood flicks. You simply don't wanna miss this one!!!

After being a successful investment banker, and a well known writer of 3 international best selling books you are now entering the big bad world of Bollywood as the story / screenplay writer of Hello. How does it feel?
It feels great, of course. Especially with Bollywood, I am now getting such a big platform to tell my stories in Hindi. I don't think you can call yourself an Indian writer if you are not reaching the Hindi speaking audiences. I feel like I am destiny's child. I have always got more than I deserve - whether it is my reader's love or movies being made out of my books. And I believe these gifts are being given to me so I can do something greater for my country - whether inspire a generation or make India a better place.

How did 'Bollywood Calling' happen? Was it something which was always at the back of your mind or was it all of a sudden and completely unplanned?
When my first book came out and became popular, I started getting some enquires from Bollywood. I have always been a big Hindi movie fan, and there is a desire in me to touch as many Indians as possible in my lifetime. So what better way than Bollywood!!!

Hello which releases this week is based on your best seller One Night @ the Call Centre. Could you brief us a little on what the film is about for the benefit of all those who have not yet read the book?
Quite simply, as the book's title says - it is the story of one night about six people who work in a call center. The night is special because they get a phone call from God.

How similar is the film to the original book?
It is quite similar as I only wrote the script and Atul was clear he wanted to make the book. He said, "I've loved the book as it was fun to read and it made me more self-confident after I read it. I want the same effect with the film". There are some changes that had to be made due to the requirements of cinema - but they don't really take away much from the book. Continued...

Woman finds wedding rings five years later

Continued...
The news stunned everyone in the family, and soon that sick feeling in the pit of Kathleen's stomach was gone.

"I am so happy I found them," said Schaecher, who has three children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild on the way. "If I had $1 million, it wouldn't have made me so happy."

As happy as she is, she admits she's afraid to wear the rings. She wasn't on the day I visited her home. They were tucked safely in a small black ring box because she's worried she'll lose them again.

I asked if she would put them on for a photograph, and she agreed. She gingerly took them out of the box and kissed them before sliding them onto her finger.

They're so loose on her fingers, no wonder she has been hesitant to wear them. But they haven't left her sight. She kept them in her purse when she went to church the next Sunday, terrified to leave them at home. She never took her grip off the purse, not even for communion.

Kathleen knows exactly what her husband would be saying right now: "What took you so long to clean the freezer?"

The truth is, she had cleaned it before. More than once.

"It's just amazing that I never saw them," she said.

Maybe the rings got caught somehow on one of the baskets inside or on the ledge of the metal thermometer that hangs on one of them. She has no idea.

"They were frozen in time," she said with a smile.End.

Source