Marc Dougherty, 52, admitted to bigamy after marrying Pamela Lewis in a Wild West-themed ceremony in Nevada on July 4, 2024, while he was still legally married to his first wife, Samantha Todd. The offense came to light when Dougherty's social media posts of the wedding were seen by his former mother-in-law, who reported him to the police.
Dougherty had initiated divorce proceedings from Ms. Todd in November 2020, citing adultery. However, the divorce was never formally completed because Ms. Todd did not accept the grounds for divorce and did not formally respond to the proceedings. This meant Dougherty remained legally married when he wed Ms. Lewis in Nelson Ghost Town, a tourist attraction near Las Vegas.
According to court proceedings, Dougherty signed a document days before his U.S. wedding falsely confirming he had been divorced since June 2019. His defense stated that he had 'put his head in the sand' when his first wife did not respond to divorce requests, and that he acknowledged his actions were due to naivety, ignorance, and stupidity.
Dougherty, who runs a building maintenance firm, had been married to Ms. Todd since September 2006. They have at least two children together. He met Ms. Lewis, a florist, in 2023 and they later held a reception in the UK that was attended by his children from his first marriage.
At Liverpool Crown Court, Dougherty was sentenced to eight weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, for admitting bigamy. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 in court costs. The judge noted that Dougherty was aware he was still married and had deliberately chosen not to complete the necessary divorce applications.
Dougherty's defense team mentioned that he has been diagnosed with cancer and expressed that he hopes to move on with his life. He changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on the first day of his trial.