{"id":139371,"date":"2015-07-30T18:01:50","date_gmt":"2015-07-30T18:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=139371"},"modified":"2015-07-30T18:01:50","modified_gmt":"2015-07-30T18:01:50","slug":"man-spent-150k-trying-to-get-his-african-wife-into-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=139371","title":{"rendered":"Man spent \u00a3150k trying to get his African wife into the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Paul Catchpole said goodbye to his wife of 43 years for a work stint in Cameroon she thought the absence would make his heart grow fonder.<\/p>\n

But the 66-year-old great-grandad quickly forget about his life back home after falling for local Angele, a woman 36 years his junior.<\/p>\n

The now retired logistics manager met the unemployed 30-year-old in 2007 and says he was shocked when a young, beautiful woman was interested in him.<\/p>\n

Paul began an affair and, after returning to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, divorced his heartbroken wife and left behind his distraught family \u2014 including his two grown-up kids \u2014 and then headed back to Central Africa to marry his new, younger mistress.<\/p>\n

But it has not been the happy ending he hoped for.<\/p>\n

After fathering two more children with his new wife \u2014 John Paul, now two, and Blessing, six months \u2014 Paul ploughed his life savings and inheritance into their long-distance relationship in a desperate bid to get Angele and their kids to the UK.<\/p>\n

His attempts have been in vain after British authorities refused his new wife permanent residency in the UK.<\/p>\n

Paul has spent his \u00a3100,000 life savings and racked up \u00a350,000 worth of debt since remarrying.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\"Devastated<\/div>
Devastated … Paul has sunk thousands into supporting wife who is stuck in Cameroon Rob Howarth<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The money has gone on air tickets, hotel and hospital fees, renting property, utilities, food, car and running costs, schooling, (kids start at two in Cameroon), property building costs and fees.<\/p>\n

He has also forked out \u00a340,000 for Angele to renovate properties in Cameroon after she said she would like to do it as a job.<\/p>\n

But the lovestruck pensioner \u2014 also dad to Matthew, 46, and Paula, 43, and who has three grandkids and one great grandchild in the UK \u2014 claims it\u2019s all worth it.<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cI gave up my wife and lost my family, my home and my life savings for Angele.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve taken out bank loans and numerous credit cards to pay for her and the kids to live in Cameroon while I try to get her over here \u2014 but it is totally worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never been happier and the only thing stopping us from being truly happy is the distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care how much it costs I won\u2019t stop until Angele and the kids are here with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The unlikely couple met when Paul temporarily moved to Cameroon to work in Angele\u2019s hometown of Douala.<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cI didn\u2019t go looking for love, it just happened. I couldn\u2019t believe it when Angele showed me she was interested in me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am 36 years older than her so never thought she would be attracted to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first we just chatted innocently but, after a few weeks, we started going for drinks on dates.<\/p>\n

\u201cAngele knew I was married but we were just completely caught up in the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Paul flew back to his family in the UK, it wasn\u2019t a happy reunion. Paul came clean about the affair and his wife filed for divorce in 2008.<\/p>\n

Paul handed over the four-bedroom \u00a3500,000 home he owned as part of the divorce settlement and, as soon as the papers were signed, returned to Cameroon to continue his romance.<\/p>\n

In May 2011, he and Angele married in Douala in front of her family.<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cNone of my family came but I hardly expected them to, they didn\u2019t approve.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cThe affair hurt my family and I feel guilty for that. But I was so in love with Angele I wanted to make a go of things.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cBoth my children in the UK, Matthew and Paula and the extended family, turned their backs on me and didn\u2019t approve of my new relationship. I\u2019d had a good relationship with my children until then.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\"Happy<\/div>
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Happy days … Paul and Angele after their wedding in 2011 Rob Howarth<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cBut they didn\u2019t like Angele and my daughter couldn\u2019t get to grips with it as my new wife was much younger than her.<\/p>\n

\u201cLosing them was heartbreaking but I had no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul returned home without his new wife \u2014 but with the plan of bringing her to England.<\/p>\n

In the four years since they married they have spent much of it apart. He usually stays in the UK for three months, then goes to Cameroon for one month.<\/p>\n

Paul says: \u201cI really love Angele and we are happy but I never intended to move to Cameroon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very poor place and not the kind of country I\u2019d ever want to permanently live in. The plan was always for Angele to move to England to be with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in November 2012 Angele gave birth to Paul Junior.<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cI felt a bit old to become a dad but we were over the moon at the idea of starting a family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul then rented a two bedroom flat for Angele and their baby in Douala while he got to work applying for her UK visas.<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cI was paying for her to live, for nursery for our son and for healthcare for them both.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt all started becoming very pricey so I ended up having to take out bank loans amounting to \u00a330,000. Even my credit cards were maxed out and I racked up \u00a320,000 worth of debt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe money had been earmarked for the future, to live on after retirement and for my children to inherit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angele then gave birth to their second child Blessing in January this year.<\/p>\n

Paul says: \u201cI didn\u2019t want Angele to give birth in Cameroon because the healthcare is so bad but she had her UK tourist visa rejected because the authorities didn\u2019t believe it was a temporary visit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI managed to get her a tourist visa for France so she could give birth in Paris.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to put her up in an 80 euro a night hotel for three months. As soon as our daughter was born we went back to Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was horrible to be torn away from my kids but we had no option.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parisian authorities have since refused Angele a permanent visa and she has been denied UK residency because she can\u2019t speak fluent English.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\"Family<\/div>
Family … Paul shows pictures of the two young children he has had with his African wife Rob Howarth<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Paul says: \u201cIf only she could speak fluent English, she\u2019d be in with a chance of coming over here. She says she doesn\u2019t have time to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul has refused to give up on bringing his family to the UK and in May splashed out another \u00a3500 applying for a family visa to get Angele and the children to Norfolk.<\/p>\n

He says: \u201cOn top of the application fee, I also had to give my wife \u00a35,000 to put in her bank account so the authorities would see she was financially stable.\u201d<\/p>\n

His application was turned down for a second time. He says: \u201cIt\u2019s ludicrous. I can look after her and the kids so it\u2019s devastating she\u2019s been rejected.<\/p>\n

\u201cI left my wife of more than 40 years and ruined my relationship with my older children so I could be with Angele.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve gone on to have two kids and I\u2019ve spent more than \u00a3150,000 on her, yet still we can\u2019t be together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we first got together I thought people would look at us and laugh but after what we\u2019ve been through I know our love is real.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d do anything to get my family over here. I won\u2019t stop until I have tried everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor now I have to deal with only seeing her and my kids every now and again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been bombings in Cameroon recently and I worry if I don\u2019t get them over here soon, their lives will be at risk.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s heartbreaking but I believe one day I\u2019ll have them all here with me.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

What Paul has spent<\/strong><\/p>\n

Car for Angele \u2013 \u00a312,000<\/p>\n

Her monthly rent for four years \u2013 \u00a311,000<\/p>\n

Utilities \u2013 \u00a310,000<\/p>\n

Food, clothing, prams, nappies \u2013 \u00a320,000<\/p>\n

Air tickets \u2013 \u00a313,000<\/p>\n

Hotels \u2013 \u00a320,000<\/p>\n

Hospitals in Paris and Cameroon \u2013 \u00a36,000<\/p>\n

Visa applications \u2013 \u00a38,000<\/p>\n

Property building costs \u2013 \u00a340,000<\/p>\n

Schooling and living costs \u2013 \u00a311,000<\/p>\n

TOTAL \u2013 \u00a3151,000<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source: The Sun<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Paul Catchpole said goodbye to his wife of 43 years for a work stint in Cameroon she thought the absence would make his heart grow fonder. But the 66-year-old great-grandad quickly forget about his life back home after falling for local Angele, a woman 36 years his junior. The now retired logistics manager met […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":139372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[38,14],"class_list":["post-139371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-palaver-newspaper","tag-papa-owusu-ankomah"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=139371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/139372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=139371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=139371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=139371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}