A MAN described by a judge as being the 'chief lieutenant' in an international fake marriages racket which was run from Blackburn was today beginning a five-year jail sentence.

Ibrahim Patel, 50, of Dartford Close, Blackburn, was one of three men jailed at Preston Crown Court for his role in the scam which involved fake brides and grooms being lined up for illegal immigrants who wanted either to come to Britain or stay in the UK.

A community leader said today the events had damaged the reputation of Asian communities in East Lancashire.

Patel was described by Judge David Boulton as one of the main players in the racket, which was centred in Blackburn but reached as far as Bombay.

Patel pleaded guilty to four charges of assisting illegal immigrants into the country after initially denying involvement. He set up the fake marriages for them and then providing documentation which was supposed to prove to immigration officials that the matrimony was genuine. Judge Boulton sentenced him to two-and-a-half years for two of the offences and two-and-a-half years for the other two, with the sentences to run consecutively.

The judge told Patel that, despite his claims otherwise, the racket was obviously operated for cash.

He told him the maximum sentence he could get was seven years, but he was taking into account his change of plea.

Patel had been convicted of an identical offence in 1980, and that the people he was assisting were not friends or family. The high level of organisation of the scam also meant only a custodial sentence would do, Judge Boulton said.

"The fact is that you knew exactly what the law was, having being convicted before," he said.

"I accept you were not the prime mover, but you were certainly the first lieutenant in the operation."

The prime mover was Ismail Pirbhai, 49, who was also due to be sentenced yesterday on four charges. But he did not attend court and told his counsel this was because he did not want to 'end up in the same prison as Patel'.

A warrant was issued for his arrest.

Sarfraz Dudhwala, 24, of Whalley Range, Blackburn, and Mohammed Nasib, 22, of Snow Street, Blackburn, were recruited into the racket with the offer of money -- around £5,000 which they never received -- and a holiday in Bombay.

Each were charged with one offence. Nasib was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, which will run concurrently with a three-and-a-half-year jail term for supplying drugs which he is currently serving.

Judge Boulton told Nasib it was thanks to the evidence he gave that Patel changed his plea during last week's trial, and praised him for co-operating with the police when arrested.

Dudhwala was jailed for two years.

Sentencing of the three other people convicted in connection with the case -- solicitor Robert Pickles, 62, of Copster Green; Jacqueline Grahams, 25, of Liverpool Road, Penwortham; and Salma Chowdhury, 26, of Wimberley Street, Blackburn -- will take place on September 6 after their respective counsels asked for extra time.

After the case, DC Tim Maddox, who led Operation Capital since 1998, said: "The sentence laid down is an indication of how serious the scam has been taken by the judge.

"Five years is a very good sentence and should serve as a lesson to other people. He has got his just desserts and the sentence should act as a deterrent."

Hanif Patel, nephew of Ibrahim, attended court and said: "This is very unfair. He has a heart condition and we will certainly be appealing."

Shahid Malik, son of former Burnley mayor Rafique Malik and vice-chair of United Nations body UNESCO UK, said it was important to send out a strong message that the vast majority of Asian people would not tolerate marriage scams.

Mr Malik, 33, a former member of the Commission for Racial Equality, said: "I welcome the custodial sentences because nothing less would have been appropriate.

"This kind of thing does great damage to the reputation of the Asian community, the vast majority of who are law abiding citizens. The damage to the sanctity of marriage and the abuse of marriage for profit is something that is not acceptable."