Imam's 'sham marriage' trial collapses after Home Office blunder Mohammed Mattar, 62, was said to have presided over 580 bogus weddings at an Islamic centre in north west London but his trial collapsed after the Home Office failed to hand over paperwork
The trial of an imam accused of conducting 580 sham marriages between Muslim men and European brides collapsed after the Home Office failed to hand over paperwork in time.
Mohammed Mattar, 62, was said to have presided over the bogus weddings at his Islamic bookshop in west London between 2008 and 2012 to help men win the right to stay in Britain.
He was due to stand trial at Isleworth Crown Court earlier this month but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the charges after government investigators missed deadlines to hand over vital information.