Canadian Charged With Bigamy

A Canadian national, who married his second wife while still legally married to his first had his case committed to the High Court where he is facing one count of bigamy.

Richard Finnegan is also charged with giving false information to a person employed in the public service. His case was preceded by way of paper committal in the Magistrate’s Court this morning, Friday, January 28, 2011.

Mr. Finnegan legal woes began after it was discovered that he illegally married a second wife, while his first wife is still alive and residing overseas.

According to court records, he and his first wife were married in 2003 and lived together in the Virgin Islands until 2008. She now resides in British Columbia, Canada.

However, in February 2010, the 39 year-old applied for a license to tie the knot with his second wife, and on the document he stated he was never married.

But his first wife became aware of the marriage and made a report which resulted in Mr. Finnegan’s arrest.

He is currently on $25,000 bail with one signed surety and is represented by Attorney Stephen Daniels.

From The Virgin Island News Online

Comments

[Ethic]

Does anyone know lawyers would advocate for a bigamy victim in Ontario, Canada?

[Ann Kearns]

My father, John Dudley Kearns (a.k.a Doug Kearns) married my mother in Montreal in 1962. They seperated in 1969-70 but never divorced. My father went on to marry another woman without ever seeking a divorce or paying child support. He simply vanished. I finally tracked him down - he lives in Port Credit Ontario. He is married to a lady named Pauline. He tried to deny ever having any children or being married. He never told his current wife that he was married or had children. I searched for years for my father but finding him was a shock and disappointment. He is a bigamist and was a deadbeat father too. A winning combination.

[Marie Z.]

Saskatchewan has already publically stated that married persons can have more than one legal spouse. They do say that married people can't have a second "civilly married" spouse but only that married persons can have same-time common law spouses. This being the case, Richard Finnegan should insist on equal rights and argue discrimination based upon marital status. Mr. Finnegan will assuredly win the bigamy case based on this flagrant discrimination.