I found out my husband was married to someone else after seeing photographs of his wedding online – so I shopped him to the police
A woman has described how she found out her husband had married someone else after seeing pictures of the wedding online.
Hayley Brown, 36, from Southport, married the once-divorced Mark Rowlands, 47, in 2012 before separating years later, but they remained legally married.
The mother-of-three was stunned when a friend sent her photos of Mark to Kerry Adams on his wedding day, which took place at a Holiday Inn in June 2021.
She reported the marriage to the police and Rowlands pleaded guilty to bigamy to Chester Magistrates on the day of the trial. He was fined £456, of which £346 was prosecution costs and a victim’s surcharge.
In her first interview since the discovery, Hayley said, “I feel like Mark has gotten away with telling lies for far too long. Now he might think twice about it.’
Hayley Brown, 36, from Southport, has described how she found out her husband Mark Rowlands had married someone else after seeing pictures of the wedding online
Rowland’s illegal wedding was discovered by his second wife through social media. The photo shows Kerry Adams, Rowland’s third wife, on her wedding day
Hayley and Rowlands met in Southport in 2010 after he started dating one of her friends.
She said, ‘Mark was a real charmer, he had a gift for talking. It was a whirlwind romance and we moved in together after about a month.’
She became pregnant with their first child in 2012 and they got married soon after.
Hayley said, ‘I had a big white dress and all the trimmings and it was a great day. I was head over heels in love.’
But after becoming pregnant with their second child eight and a half years ago, Hayley suspected he was cheating.
She said, “I realized that Mark wasn’t always honest with me. I decided I couldn’t take it anymore.’
Their son was born soon after, but Rowlands did not attend the birth and only met him once, briefly.
He lost contact with Hayley and their children, aside from alimony payments.
Hayley says, “I struggled financially after Mark left. I had a toddler and a new baby and a lot of debt. I had to move and start over.
“I did ask him for a divorce, but at the time I couldn’t afford it.
‘I have not heard anything anymore. There was no letter from a lawyer, as he said in court. That just wasn’t true. I did not receive anything.’
Rowlands married his third wife Kerry the day after Valentine’s Day 2020 – with the couple’s marriage certificate falsely declaring his previous marriage as ‘dissolved’.
Hayley found out about the wedding in February 2020, when her friend forwarded her a social media post from the Holiday Inn hotel with a photo of Rowlands’ wedding to Kerry.
Hayley learned of the wedding that same month, when her friend forwarded her a social media post from the Holiday Inn hotel with a photo of Rowlands’ wedding to Kerry.
She says, “My jaw hit the floor. He was still married to me. I could not believe it.
“It felt funny to see him marry someone else, but I was over him by now. Still, I knew this was wrong and I had to report him.
“The photos were on the hotel page, not Mark’s, which showed he was probably trying to keep it quiet.”
“I felt very torn about it, but it was illegal and that’s why I went to the police.”
After his bigamy came to light, the “anxious” 47-year-old suffered a heart attack due to stress, Chester Magistrates’ Court later learned.
Hayley said: ‘I reported Mark because what he did was wrong. It’s not a pleasant way to deal with people.’
During the trial, it emerged that Rowlands had divorced his first wife in 2004 and married Hayley in a seaside hotel in 2012 before separating a few years later.
Hayley said her wedding was an amazing day and she had “all the trimmings,” adding that she was “head over heels in love.” In the photo: in her wedding dress
Rowlands lost contact with Hayley (pictured) and their children, aside from alimony payments
Hayley revealed: ‘At first I was told to testify but Mark pleaded guilty just before the trial started so I could go home.
“The judge told him to get a divorce so at least I can get what I want now.
“In court he said he instructed a law firm about our divorce, but I knew nothing about that.
“I think this is just another one of his lies. He can’t help it.
“Hopefully, now that he’s been publicly disgraced, he’ll learn his lesson.”
NHS worker Kerry, who is believed to have also worked as a deputy manager in a care home, watched the case from the public gallery to support her husband.
After his bigamy came to light, the “anxious” 47-year-old suffered a heart attack due to stress and was hospitalized for 24 hours, Chester Magistrates’ Court heard. (Rowlands pictured out of court)
NHS worker Kerry, who is believed to have also worked as a deputy manager in a care home, watched the case from the public gallery to support her husband. Pictured: Both out of court
In the past, bigamy was considered such a serious crime in England that from 1604 a man or woman could be sentenced to death for this crime.
However, since the Offenses Against the Person Act of 1861, this offense is punishable by up to seven years in prison and/or a fine.
According to reports, last year’s police figures show that there have been 599 cases of bigamy recorded across all police forces in England and Wales over the past decade.
However, in the five years to last year, only 18 percent of completed investigations led to alleged bigamists being brought to justice and punished. because it is not in the public interest.