The bigamist husband who was trapped by Facebook: Wife uncovered photos online of husband marrying another woman

Martin and Lisa Curran pictured on their wedding day in April 1987 have been married for 24 years when he illegally married another woman

When Lisa Curran found a picture on Facebook of her husband of 25 years getting married to another woman, she was naturally shocked and appalled.
But former police officer Martin Curran, 52, allayed her fears by saying the image was a fake posted by a former girlfriend who had been stalking him.
It wasn’t until Mrs Curran became suspicious and turned detective several months later that the truth emerged – Curran had been living a double life with Andrea Whiteside, 31, for more than six years.
They married in an illegal ceremony in July last year.
Yesterday Mrs Curran, 45, spoke of her anger after her husband walked free from court, despite admitting bigamy.
‘He’s got away with it and come up smelling of roses, like he always does,’ said Mrs Curran, who has two grown-up children with her husband.
‘He should have gone to prison, that would have taught him a very severe lesson, but he’s got away with it. I feel so stupid, everyone around me could see what he was like, except me.
‘Now I realise he has been lying through his teeth all these years. It has been devastating for me and the kids.’
Mrs Curran was just 15 when she met Curran, then 21. Magistrates in Runcorn heard that they married in April 1987 and have two children – a 24-year-old daughter and 21-year-old son.
But the marriage was troubled by Curran’s infidelity and in 2005 he admitted having an affair with Miss Whiteside.
Curran, who served 20 years as a constable with Merseyside police, met Miss Whiteside, who is deaf, after leaving the force to set up a motorcycle training business.
When Mrs Curran found out about the affair, her husband promised to end it.

The two wives: Lisa Curran, pictured left, who married Mr Curran in 1987, and Andrea Whiteside, right, who married him in an illegal ceremony July last year

But Mrs Curran, a support worker for people with learning disabilities, said: ‘He left me on Christmas Day 2006. We were separated and living apart, but we were still basically married. We were sleeping with each other.
‘I had no idea that he was having an affair and he had married someone else. The first I knew about it was in December last year.’
Joanne Clark, prosecuting, said that it was around then that Mrs Curran came across Miss Whitehead’s Facebook page, with a picture of her wedding day at St Michael’s Church, Burtonwood, Cheshire, on July 30 last year.
Mrs Clark said: ‘She made enquiries... and it was confirmed her husband and Miss Whiteside had got married.’ 

Curran was handed 250 hours community service after pleading guilty to bigamy at Runcorn Magistrates' Court, pictured

Mrs Curran, of St Helens, Merseyside, contacted police in April, and Curran was arrested.
Curran, of Burtonwood, who now works as a farm labourer, yesterday changed his plea to guilty.
Sentencing him to 250 hours’ community service, chairman of the bench Kathy Haeck said: ‘I’m sure you’ve learned a very salutary lesson.’
Bigamy is an each way offence, which means defendants can opt for a trial in a magistrates or crown court.
Magistrates must be satisfied they have the sentencing powers – a maximum six-month prison sentence or £5,000 fine – to deal with the case. Otherwise it must be sent to crown court, where the maximum penalty is seven years’ jail.
In Curran’s case, the magistrates decided the offence did not pass the custody threshold. This was most likely because he had pleaded guilty, and the bigamy was for a relatively short time – 12 months.