The accidental bigamist ======================= ![The accidental bigamist](https://vardags.com/images/pictures/_360/f6c4307ba802341fa71044261d378681.jpeg)In 2015, Adam John Moore, a man in his thirties from Exeter, plead guilty to bigamy. With such a headline, the story soon spread [to a number of national newspapers](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2910261/Adam-Moore-admits-bigamy-marrying-second-wife-without-divorcing.html). Unusual, but not unheard of, one may think. However, this was not a case of deliberate deception, but a case of ignorance. Moore had married Lyndsey Heywood in December 2008, but their short-lived marriage broke down. Upon applying for a divorce, Heywood began to look into Moore's previous divorce proceedings and discovered, to her dismay, that he was technically still married to his first wife. While decree nisi had been pronounced in his previous divorce proceedings, decree absolute had not. Decree nisi - *nisi* being the Latin word for 'if' or 'unless' - is the notice that states that a marriage may be dissolved. It is provisional, and it provides that after six weeks and a day from the point of its pronouncement, a decree absolute may be applied for unless any further evidence is brought to light to prevent that happening during that period. A marriage is not dissolved until decree absolute is granted. While Moore's actions were not malicious as such, they were certainly careless. Not having a sufficient level of knowledge of the divorce process did not save him from being hauled before the local magistrates, or of deceiving both his wives, however inadvertently. Bigamy is a rare event in the UK but it is still punishable by a custodial sentence. It is a strong reason for getting the best legal advice possible when going through a divorce, so that you can be absolutely sure that everything is being conducted in your best interests; not least getting all your paperwork done correctly. "Ayesha Vardag - Britain's top divorce lawyer." ![The Huffington Post](https://vardags.com/images/logo/huffpost.png) "Ayesha Vardag - Woman of the Year"![GG2](https://vardags.com/images/logo/gg2-3.png) "Leading, Magic Circle law firm."Mr Justice Coleridge "A handful of firms dominate the so-called 'glamour' end of the market ... Vardags"The Times "One of the best divorce lawyers in the country"Marie Claire "Ayesha Vardag - 'diva of divorce' for the world's super rich" ![BBC](https://vardags.com/images/logo/bbc.png) "Dr Stephen Bence is a financial genius."Lewis Marks KC "Ayesha Vardag - the Queen of divorce"Daily Mail "Vardags brilliantly argued my case to a resounding victory"Pauline Chai (client) "Britain's top divorce lawyer" ![The Telegraph](https://vardags.com/images/logo/telegraph.png) More Divorce news ----------------- [For richer, for poorer…? How to split a lottery win on divorce](https://vardags.com/family-law/lottery-winners-divorce "For richer, for poorer? How to split a lottery win on divorce") [Posthumous claims on estate for non-disclosure](https://vardags.com/family-law/posthumous-claims-on-estate-for-non-disclosure "Posthumous claims on estate for non-disclosure") [The accidental bigamist](https://vardags.com/family-law/the-accidental-bigamist "The accidental bigamist") [Are Americans turning against no-fault divorce?](https://vardags.com/family-law/americans-turning-no-fault-divorce "Are Americans turning against no-fault divorce?") [Dramatic rise in digital spyware use by suspicious spouses](https://vardags.com/family-law/dramatic-rise-in-digital-spyware-use-by-suspicious-spouses "Dramatic rise in digital spyware use by suspicious spouses")