Bigamist Michael Eels, 59, who secretly juggled two family lives and tried to cover his tracks by claiming he was dying was jailed for three months on Valentine’s Day, at Lewes Crown Court, Sussex
The wife of a bigamist who only found out her husband was already married to another woman through a Facebook message has slammed his three-month jail term as ‘not long enough’.
Michael Eels, 59, from Eastbourne, lived a double life for years after marrying a second woman and moving 345 miles with her to Northumberland – telling his first wife Andrea he had gone away to receive palliative care.
In actual fact he had met wife-to-be Sally Howard online and planned to start a new life with her.
Speaking after he was jailed at Lewes Crown Court, Andrea Etheridge-Eels claimed he is ‘already engaged’ to another woman and insisted he will ‘do it again’ on his release from prison.
She said: ‘I am devastated he only got three months. I was hoping for up to seven years. It’s better than nothing, but he’s only going to do it again.’
She said she ‘tried my best to look at him’ while reading her victim impact statement to the court.
Eels, though, remained emotionless during his time in the dock.
The 59-year-old told his first wife Andrea Etheridge-Eels (pictured left in 2017 and right on their wedding day) and their three children he had to move 345 miles north to Newcastle where he would receive ‘the best possible treatment’ for his illness
She added: ‘He never gave us anything. Not even a thought. He doesn’t deserve anyone.’
Eels’ lies finally unravelled when wife number one Andrea Etheridge-Eels came across a three-year-old Facebook message from Sally asking if she also married to the two-timer.
Sally and Eels had moved to Northumberland together after tying the knot in Sussex where he had borrowed £4,000 from her father to pay for his second wedding.
Speaking to MailOnline, Andrea revealed how inquisitive Sally finding a Christmas card from her to Eels eventually led to his lies finally collapsing around him.
In actual fact he had met his second wife-to-be Sally Howard (pictured) online, and planned to start a new life with her
Andrea said: ‘Sally became suspicious and sent me message in 2013 asking if I was also married to Michael. But it took me three years to finally open the message because I rarely use Facebook.
‘I replied that I was married to him and she said she was too. That was in 2016. The message had been sitting there unread from three whole years.
‘We arranged to meet up a garden centre in Eastbourne and the full picture of what he had been doing quickly emerged.
‘I just sat their in disbelief and so did Sally. We actually really liked each other but we definitely didn’t like Michael anymore.
‘We both had our marriage certificates so the next thing I did was call the police. He had married Sally in 2009 in Newcastle but their relationship broke up in 2013.’
Andrea told of the betrayal as she had lived for three years believing that her husband was terminally-ill.
She went on: ‘He would have tears in his eyes as he told our kids he didn’t have long to live and needed to get back to Newcastle for urgent treatment.
‘It was all a pack of lies and now I just feel stupid, betrayed and I am asking myself how I fell for it.
‘All the time he was perfectly healthy and married to another woman and we were praying for him to pull through.
Looking through the family photo albums at her home in Eastbourne, Andrea said she and children were now changing their names by deed poll and want nothing more to do with Eels
‘But he was so plausible. We believed him absolutely. When I found out I was shocked beyond belief and then devastated.’
The court heard Eels, who pleaded guilty to bigamy last month, would travel back to Eastbourne monthly to spend three or four days with his family in his marital home.
Looking through the family photo albums at her home in Eastbourne, Andrea said she and children were now changing their names by deed poll and want nothing more to do with Eels.
She said when she learned the truth she then faced the heartbreaking decision to fell their children the father who claimed to be having cancer treatment was really living a lie.
‘It was the hardest thing I have ever did he to tell them. But they have been really supportive of me and we are getting though this now.’
She added: ‘Michael had even sat with my parents who are both in their 90s and claimed, with tears rolling down his cheeks, that he was dying with cancer.
‘What a conman. He was pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes. He was such a quiet and likeable man really – no one can believe this has happened.
Wife number one Andrea opened the message last year and the two met up and, to their disbelief, found out they were married to the same man. Eels was handed three months behind bars for the crime. Both his wives read their victim impact statements to the court
‘He was the sort of man who helped anyone in trouble. But his work often took him away away from home and then he started telling us he was desperately ill.
‘His stories always seemed to ring true to us. What a world class liar he was.’
Eels was handed three months behind bars for the crime. Both his wives read their victim impact statements to the court.
Andrea fought the tears at the hearing as she said: ‘Finding out that my husband had remarried came as a great shock to me.
Describing his lies, Andrea said: ‘He would have tears in his eyes as he told our kids he didn’t have long to live and needed to get back to Newcastle for urgent treatment’
‘I genuinely believed he was suffering from jugular cancer. This caused me stress and worry.
‘I had no one to talk to as I had to remain strong for our children. My children have been left without a father and no financial or emotional support.’
Eels left both women in financial trouble and Ms Howard had to start selling her own belongings to stay afloat as he would not let her look for a job.
When her mother died, she had to use her inheritance to pay Eels’s debts. The £4,000 borrowed was also never paid back.
Mrs Eels, who lives at their home in Eastbourne – who was working two-and-a-half-hours a day – now works ten hours a day, five days a week to make ends meet.
Judge Christine Laing QC handed Eels three months in prison and ordered him to pay both women £1,000 each in compensation.
A restraining order was also imposed on him, preventing him from contacting either wife indefinitely.
Judge Christine Laing QC handed Eels three months in prison and ordered him to pay both women £1,000 each in compensation following the trial at Lewes Crown Court, Sussex