BIGAMIST CONMAN IS JAILED; Ex-vicar gets 3 years for sham.Byline: BY MAGGIE BARRY A BIGAMIST former vicar was jailed for three years yesterday as one of his three ex-wives looked on in disgust. Roderick Sangster, 58, who left the women with huge debts, gave himself up to police this week after going on the run. Last month he was convicted in his absence of bigamy and fraud. Jailing Sangster, an ex-Kirk minister and policeman policeman /po·lice·man/ (pah-les´min) a glass rod with a piece of rubber tubing on one end, used as a stirring rod and transfer tool in chemical analysis. po·lice·man n. , Judge Marten marten, name for carnivorous, largely arboreal mammals (genus Martes) of the weasel family, widely distributed in North America, Europe, and central Asia. Martens are larger, heavier-bodied animals than weasels, with thick fur and bushy tails. Coates told him: "Bigamy cases are rare, I think they are rare because the public have a greater regard for the institution and obligations of marriage than you do. "You left your first wife with debts that had risen to impossible levels, you left your second wife bankrupt and your third wife almost destitute des·ti·tute adj. 1. Utterly lacking; devoid: Young recruits destitute of any experience. 2. Lacking resources or the means of subsistence; completely impoverished. See Synonyms at poor. ." Sangster wed Janet Wallace, from Flisk, Fife, while still married to Jill Sangster, of Perth, leaving both thousands in debt. He was also married to Frances Tait, 57, of Aberdeen. They had four children before divorcing in 1996. Judge Coates went on: "The marriages to Jill and Janet were to help you financially. Your motives were dishonest from the start." Jill, 49, who he married 12 years ago, was the only one of his ex-wives to attend yesterday's sentencing. All three were at Warwick crown court last month when a jury unanimously found him guilty. Sangster looked sombre som·bre adj. Chiefly British Variant of somber. sombre or US somber Adjective 1. serious, sad, or gloomy: a sombre message 2. as his lawyer Adam Western said: "He regrets the hurt and embarrassment he has caused these women, in particular Janet for any shame she might feel for having been through a bigamist relationship." Sangster handed himself in to police in Brighton on Wednesday. Mr Western added: "He knew he had punishment to face and he is facing up to it now. He was scared, he is a 58-year-old man who is facing a prison sentence for the first time and because of his age it will bear down particularly hard on him." Jill was too overcome to talk after the case. But a statement issued on behalf of the ex-wives said: "They have now had closure and are looking forward with getting on with their lives." CAPTION(S): SHAMED Roderick Sangster |
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