Man’s perjury in Russian wife divorce case

Jul 19 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

AN international love affair which turned sour resulted in a North East man lying to a court to end his ill-fated marriage without his wife’s knowledge.

Ronald Nelson, 59, met his Russian sweetheart Irina through a dating website in 2004, and they got married two years later after she moved to the UK to be with him.

The couple lived together in Blyth, Northumberland, but the romance faded after just seven months of married life and they split up.

Irina left the marital home and in February last year Nelson appeared before a judge at North Shields County Court and gave evidence in divorce proceedings against his wife.

As a result of the evidence given in court, His Honour Judge Bullock issued a decree absolute in April last year to annul the marriage.

Less than a month later, Nelson’s ‘former’ wife initiated her own divorce proceedings against him via her solicitors, who then informed her that he had already filed for annulment without her knowledge.

Northumbria Police were called in and Nelson was arrested last August on suspicion of committing offences of perjury and forgery.

Yesterday, at Newcastle Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to perjury and was given a six-month suspended prison sentence.

Nelson, whose address was given in court as Sidney Street, Blyth, is believed to be a former accountant. He could not be contacted for comment last night.

His former wife is still living in this country at an undisclosed address. Last night Dt Con Dave Kernaghan of North Shields CID said: “This is a highly unusual case involving an international love story which went sour.

“The proverb ‘marry in haste and repent at leisure’ is not valid here. But the reverse does seems more apt, ‘attempt to divorce in haste and repent at leisure’.

“This individual was clearly in a hurry to release himself from his marriage, but in doing so he lied to the court and must now face the consequences.

“Mr Nelson is a man of previous good character who has been very foolish. He landed himself in a massive amount of trouble for something he didn’t need to do. Basically he stood up and lied to the court and misled it to get the marriage annulled.”