Melissa Reilly said she was to be paid 2,500 euros

Melissa Reilly, 23, and Orobola Osantuyi, 34, were arrested at Worthing Register office in June.

Both admitted making false statements under oath to the registrar and conspiring to breach immigration laws, at Chichester Crown Court.

Reilly, of Finians Park, Drogheda, County Louth, in the Irish Republic, and Osantuyi were remanded in custody and are due to be sentenced next month.

False address

The court heard that the pair were intercepted by police and immigration officers at the register office in West Sussex on 18 June.

Osantuyi, who entered the false name Olayink Adeoye and a false address at Pelham Road, Worthing, said nothing in a police interview.

Reilly said she was to be paid 2,500 euros (�1,700) for marrying him and the wedding had been arranged by a mystery Nigerian man and a woman called Linda Cruise.

She also admitted she had never lived at the Pelham Road address which was entered on the wedding registrar form on 2 June.

George Elebiju gave a false address to speed up his marriage

Another Irish woman, Anne-Marie Devlin, 29, also from Drogheda, is accused of acting as a witness to the planned marriage, but she failed to attend a previous court hearing.

Judge John Sessions adjourned the case to establish what role Ms Devlin played - he said Reilly and Osantuyi would be sentenced at a later date.

The case was adjourned until later in September for further inquiries to be made.

Also appearing in court was another couple arrested at the same register office on 18 June - George Elebiju and Khadjidia Dansokho.

The court heard they had a legitimate relationship and had given a false address in Worthing to try to speed up their marriage.

They were jailed for five months each, but were released after serving three months in custody on remand.