A couple who were arrested after trying to stage a bogus wedding have been jailed – after the groom forgot the bride’s name.

Zubair Khan, 28, from Pakistan, and Beata Szilagyi, 33, from Hungary, were exposed after Khan had to call marriage fixer Khaliq Dad Khan to check the bride’s name during a meeting with the registrar before the ceremony. The registrar then promptly notified authorities and the bride and groom were detained on the spot.

Sky News reports that Khan has been jailed for 20 months while Szilagyi was sentenced to 17 months at Hull Crown Court. They had both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration law. Khaliq Dad Khan was also jailed for 20 months on the same charge.

Andy Sharpe of Immigration Enforcement Criminal Investigations said: “This was a farcical but nonetheless serious attempt to cheat the UK’s immigration laws.

“We continue to crack down on sham marriage abuse, and we work very closely with registrars to identify suspicious marriages. We will not hesitate to act where we believe a relationship is not genuine.”

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said: “The criminal gangs who try to cheat their way around our immigration laws will not escape justice.”