Bigamist who lied about terminal cancer unmasked as wives find each other on Facebook
A BIGAMIST who tried to hide his double life by claiming he had terminal cancer was caught out when his wives contacted each other on Facebook.
Michael Eels, 59, told his first wife Andrea and their three children he had to move 345 miles north to Newcastle where he would receive “the best possible treatment” for his illness, Lewes Crown Court heard. He told his family he was suffering from terminal cancer while on holiday with them.
Eels met his second wife-to-be, Sally Howard, online. They moved to Northumberland after a bigamous second marriage in Sussex. He borrowed £4,000 from her father to pay for the wedding, and first wife Andrea even sent him cash when he needed it.
The prosecution said Eels, who pleaded guilty to bigamy last month, would travel back to Eastbourne each month to spend three or four days with his family in the marital home.
Eels’s double life was exposed when Miss Howard discovered a Christmas card to her husband from “Andrea”. She searched for Andrea on Facebook and messaged her to find out who she was.
When the pair met up, to their disbelief, they found out they were married to the same man. Both his wives read their victim impact statements to the court. Mrs Eels fought back tears as she said: “Finding out that my husband had remarried came as a great shock to me.
“I genuinely believed he was suffering from jugular cancer. I had no one to talk to as I had to remain strong for our children. My children have been left without a father and no financial or emotional support.”
Eels left both women in financial difficulty. Miss Howard had to start selling her belongings to keep cash coming in as Eels became controlling and would not let her look for a job.
When her mother died, she used her inheritance to pay Eels’s debts.
Judge Christine Laing QC jailed Eels for three months and ordered him to pay £1,000 compensation to each woman. A restraining order was also imposed on him, preventing him from contacting either of them indefinitely.