Man jailed over forgery of divorce papers

A MAN who forged his estranged wife’s signature on divorce papers has been jailed for what a judge described as a fraud against his partner and against the courts.

Nicky Mark Jones, pictured, had applied for the divorce without his wife’s knowledge while she was seriously ill in hospital, the court was told.

Mrs Jones found out about the proceedings by accident when she visited the marital house to collect some personal items and found a letter from the family court.

Swansea Crown Court heard the Joneses had been married for 18 years when they separated in 2014.

Helen Randal, prosecuting, said that in 2015 Mrs Jones had become seriously ill, and spent six months in hospital – during this time the defendant submitted the divorce petition.

After being discharged, she went to their former home in 2016. Jones was not there so she let herself in and found an opened letter about their divorce in the kitchen.

The court heard that when she checked with the Civil Justice Centre in Port Talbot she was told the divorce had progressed to the point just short of the decree absolute stage.

The court heard Mrs Jones then contacted the police about the matter, and the divorce proceedings were stayed.

The prosecutor said the incident had caused Mrs Jones “a huge amount of stress” at a time when she was recovering from a serious illness, and she believed that her estranged partner had forged her signature in an attempt to make a financial gain.

Jones, aged 44, of Primrose Bank, Bryncoch, Neath, had previously pleaded guilty to making a false instrument with intent that it be accepted as genuine – contrary to the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 – when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

Andrew Evans, for Jones, said his client accepted that he had committed a serious offence, while his actions in the matter had been “foolish in the extreme”.

He said that at the time of the incident Jones was dealing with family bereavements.

Judge Peter Heywood said the offence was more akin to that of perverting the course of justice than of forgery.

Jones was jailed for eight months. He was also made the subject of a restraining order by the court, banning him from contacting his former wife for the next two years.

The Joneses are now divorced.