Perth man charged with bigamy after police allege he had too many wives

A Perth man who allegedly had multiple wives will face court on a charge of bigamy.

The 48-year-old is accused of being separated but not divorced from his first wife when he married a second woman in July 2020.

It is alleged that he had not told her about his previous marriage, stating on a form that he had never been validly married.

He allegedly married a third woman late last year after splitting from his second wife.

The Australian Federal Police began investigating after the man’s first wife, who resides in the eastern states, contacted the second wife via social media and exposed their alleged duplicity.

They say the second marriage was deemed invalid in Australia because the man was still legally married to his first wife.

There are no allegations of bigamy in connection with the third marriage.

The man has also been accused of making false statements in legal documents in connection with the second and third marriages.

He is accused of declaring that he had ‘never been validly married’ and of signing a ‘formal declaration of absence of legal impediment to the marriage’.

The man was arrested and denied bail before facing Perth Magistrates Court on Friday.

Lead agent Kevin Loermans said the allegations of cheating and bigamy were serious business.

“This type of deception and offense has long-lasting negative impacts on the real lives of the victims and the families involved, and AFP will ensure that allegations such as this are fully investigated,” it said in a statement.

The maximum penalty for bigamy was five years in prison, federal police said.