Bigamist who attacked his ‘wife’ spared prison

Feb 8 2008 by Chloe Griffiths, Liverpool Daily Post

A COMPANY director flew his partner and their families to New York for a lavish wedding ceremony despite knowing he was still married.

James Finley spent thousands of pounds and months arranging a special ceremony to tie the knot with girlfriend Gemma McDonald.

He even paid for family and friends to be there to see their special day, arranging for them to stay at the luxurious Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

But the ceremony on October 3, 2006 was a sham – because the 51-year-old was already married.

The director of a civil engineering company in Walton had already walked down the aisle with Angela Egginton in 1988.

While the couple had been estranged for many years and divorce papers had been filed, Liverpool Crown Court heard Finley was fully aware he was committing bigamy.

David Polglase, prosecuting, also told the court just months after the ceremony, the relationship was struggling.

And on June 24 last year Finley, of Bixteth Street in Liverpool, returned home after a night out and assaulted his second bride – punching her in the face and leaving her needing hospital treatment.

Finley admitted both bigamy and common assault, but was spared prison yesterday after Judge Brian Lewis heard the couple, who have a three-year-old child, have now re-united.

The court heard Miss McDonald has since admitted she suspected Finley had still been married.

But Judge Lewis said: “What concerns me about your conduct in relation to these two charges, and what particularly concerns for me for the future is that you appear to have little or no respect for the lady you are now residing again with.”

He added: “The second offence was a cowardly and lowly assault on that lady. I am sufficiently old-fashion to be particularly nauseated by an attack on a woman by an able-bodied man, particularly in the presence of a child.”

He suspended a six month prison sentence for two years, imposing a supervision order. Finley was also ordered to attend a domestic violence programme.