A STUNNED wife discovered her husband was a bigamist when she saw photos from his Holiday Inn wedding.
Mark Rowlands, 47, wed Kerry Adams at the budget hotel - despite still being married to Hayley Brown.
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Mark Rowlands and Hayley Brown married in 2012 before splitting up Credit: FOCUS FEATURES LTD 6
He then married Kerry Adams at a Holiday Inn Credit: Cavendish Press
The mum-of-three, 36, suspected her electrician hubby was cheating but had no idea how much he was deceiving her.
It was only when a friend forwarded her a picture of Rowlands and Kerry that she discovered the shocking truth.
She said: "My jaw hit the floor. He was still married to me! I couldn’t believe it.
"It felt funny seeing him marry someone else, but I was over him by now. Even so, I knew this was wrong and I had to report him.
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“The photos were on the hotel’s page, not Mark’s page, which showed he was probably trying to keep it quiet. I felt very torn about it, but it was illegal and so I went to the police."
Thrice married Rowlands was hauled before Chester Magistrates' Court where he pleaded guilty to bigamy.
He was handed a ￡456 fine and also ordered to pay ￡346 in prosecution costs and a victim surcharge.
Hayley, from Southport in Merseyside, met Rowlands in 2010 after he had dated one of her pals.
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She said: "Mark was a real charmer, he had the gift of the gab. It was a whirlwind romance and we moved in together after about a month.”
Hayley gave birth to the couple’s first child in 2012 and they got married shortly after in a lavish ceremony at a hotel.
The mum said she was originally "head over heels in love" but after falling pregnant with their second child, the cracks began to show.
Hayley explained she soon began to realise her once-doting husband wasn't always being "truthful" with her so she ended things.
She said: "I struggled financially after Mark left. I had a toddler and a new baby and a lot of debts. I had to move house and start again.
"I did ask him for a divorce, but at that time, I couldn’t afford it."
Rowlands didn't even make it to the birth of their son and lost contact with Hayley and their children.
The mum remained in the dark about her estranged husband's life until the Holiday Inn post in February 2020.
Furious, Hayley reported the bigamist to police - saying Rowlands had "got away with telling lies for far too long".
In court, he claimed he had instigated divorce proceedings but mistook a decree nisi he received for a certificate of divorce.
She said: “I reported Mark because what he did was wrong. It is not a nice way to treat people.
“In court, he said he’d instructed a firm of solicitors about our divorce, but I knew nothing about that. I think that is just another one of his lies. He can’t help himself.
“Hopefully, now he has been publicly shamed, he will learn his lesson.”
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Hayley had the wedding of her dreams with Rowlands Credit: FOCUS FEATURES LTD 6
Their relationship soon soured after she suspected Rowlands of telling lies Credit: FOCUS FEATURES LTD 6
Rowlands pleaded guilty to bigamy Credit: Cavendish Press 6
Hayley reported him to police after discovering he had wed again Credit: FOCUS FEATURES LTD