THREE men have been found guilty for arranging a sham marriage in Winchester.

The jury at Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday unanimously found London-based Devine Abanda, Armand Djedje and Olivier Attie, guilty of conspiracy to facilitate obtaining leave to remain in the UK by deception.

The trial had heard Djedje and Attie arranged the ceremony between Cameroon-born Abanda - the bridgegroom - and Olivia Godefroy, who plead guilty to the conspiracy as well bigamy at an earlier hearing.

Godefroy said she went ahead with the wedding on the premise she would be paid money, after Djedje – referred to as ‘Pacombe’ – allegedly failed to her pay her £2,000 for a previous illegal wedding to Diedonna Ateh on January 6, 2014 - which Godefroy claims Djedje also arranged.

But Djedje and Attie both denied they knew Godefrey that well and claimed she had only invited them to visit Winchester for a party the day before the wedding was due to take place.

Referred to as "the fixers" of the hoax ceremony, which saw immigration officers swoop down on the wedding party at the city's registry office on February 28 last year, Djedje and Attie said Godefroy had mislead them.

Djedje, 30, who lives with two of his children at his home in Deptford, said: “[Olivia] said ‘there’s a party going on down there’ (Winchester). When I first asked her what sort of party is it she said ‘don’t worry about it, there’s gonna be a lot of people there’. Everyone loves parties so just thought I’ll go with it. She never mentioned nothing about marriage.”

They said they went to a nightclub when they arrived in the city, only to be turned away, and found themselves having to take a room at the southbound service’s Days Inn hotel along with Godefroy's companions - of which included Abanda.

Bridegroom, 27-year-old Abanda, said he was going ahead with the wedding as he had been led to believe Godefroy was pregnant by him - something she vehemently denied during her testimony.

Defending Abanda was Simon Ward, who claimed French-born Godefroy, 22, lied about not knowing him and they actually forged an intimate relationship sometime in January 2014.

Speaking with the help of an interpreter, Godefroy responded: "Maybe he dreams. I don't even know where he lives. I was forbidden to meet him, even talk to him, even to make any contact with him so the answer is no."

Mr Ward said 27-year-old Abanda had suggested a ceremony at Winchester Registry Office as he had relatives in Basingstoke, after the couple were told they would have to wait months to get married at Camberwell as the registry office was being refurbished.

He claimed the £2,300 he took out from the Barclays bank, located in Jewry Street - which was bagged up by immigration officials - was to pay for the reception back in London, which he handed to his best man.

But the jury wouldn't buy his story and instead said the three co-defendants were in fact guilty of arranging a sham wedding so that Abanda could apply for the right to stay in this country.

The jury were also told that during the proceedings, Abanda was married by proxy to a British national - referred to only as Eunice - in April.

Both he and Djedje looked down-trodden as Judge Keith Cutler sent them down from the dock.

Djedje was even seen to be wiping his face as he followed his co-conspirator.

Mr Cutler said: "You have been convicted by the jury. I now adjourn your case over for sentence. In the meantime you will be remanded in custody."

After they gave their verdict, the jury was told that a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Attie after he failed to turn up for court for alleged medical reasons.

The date of their sentence hearing has yet to be confirmed.

Assistant director Martin Huxley, from the Home Office’s Criminal and Financial Investigations team, said: “This gang had a complete disregard for the institution of marriage and made a brazen attempt to abuse the UK’s immigration controls. Sham marriage abuse will not be tolerated, and our dedicated, specialist teams will continue to pursue rigorously those trying to cheat the system.

“Regardless of whether you are a fixer or a participant, our specialist teams will catch up with you and you will be put before the courts.”