The key facts

  • David Curtis pleaded guilty to bigamy and received six months suspended with an 18-month probation period
  • The court ordered him to complete 100 hours of community service and pay £650 in costs and £154 in compensation to his ex-wife
  • The deception was revealed when his wife found wedding invitations on Facebook

Left 'to be alone' — and married again

A UK resident has appeared in court for marrying a 35-year-old woman from Thailand without dissolving his first marriage. This was reported by the Daily Mail (Gazeta.Ru summarizes the publication).

How the deception came to light

In April 2025, 56-year-old David Curtis left for work and never returned home. He then wrote to his 51-year-old wife Kirsty that he needed a 'break from the marriage' and wanted 'to be alone', blocked her, and flew to Thailand. His wife learned about the second marriage — to Kwanta Satipjan — by chance: she found wedding invitations on Facebook. On her lawyer's advice, she contacted the police.

Verdict and punishment

In February, Curtis was detained at Heathrow Airport upon his return to the UK. He pleaded guilty to bigamy. The court sentenced him to six months in prison suspended for 18 months, and also ordered him to complete 100 hours of community service, pay £650 in court costs and £154 in compensation to his ex-wife.

Words from both sides

Curtis's lawyer stated on his behalf that the client 'has tried to rebuild relationships with his extended family — brothers, mother, children and grandchildren' and 'looking back, realizes he should have acted differently'. Kirsty Curtis herself said that her husband's actions destroyed her trust and caused severe psychological trauma: 'It felt like 16 years of marriage meant nothing and I was simply thrown away like a useless thing'. According to her, she still does not understand her husband's motives and suggests that he 'just wanted to keep me on hold in case things didn't work out for them'.