A woman accused of being a bride in a sham marriage plot claims she was “betrayed” when her husband would not return her calls after their wedding.

Zlatica Holubova, a 29-year-old Slovakian of Brompton Road, East Bowling, Bradford, is accused of part in a fake wedding to Farrukh Khan to allow the Pakistani national to stay in the country, Leeds Crown Court heard yesterday.

Khan, 24, of Hartman Place, Toller Lane, Bradford, has already admitted conspiracy to breach immigration laws by participating in a sham marriage.

Cross examining Holubova yesterday, prosecutor Kama Melly said: “Your evidence is that this was a genuine marriage. You wanted to start a new life with him and your children and there was nothing shady or suspicious about it.”

Holubova said: “I thought he was feeling what I felt for him.

“I wanted an explanation why he was not coming anymore, why he was not replying to my calls. I didn’t hear anything at all. I was upset, betrayed.”

The defendant said she had met Khan at a disco but the pair had only discussed marriage at a later meeting.

She told the court: “He said ‘I’ve got some family trouble, can you help me get it sorted. That is the day he said ‘will you marry me?’ I said ‘if it is going to help your position, yes’.”

Miss Melly said: “It was not that you actually wanted to be with him?”

Holubova replied: “I helped him and thought in the time after we got married, there is going to be a relationship between us.”

She is on trial with Eva Facunova, 32, of Vivian Place, Little Horton; Lukas Murgos, 22, of Brompton Road, East Bowling and Syed Gardezi, 21, of Lambton Terrace, Harehills, Leeds.

They have all pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to breach immigration laws between July 11, 2010, and March 29 this year.

Livia Grundzova, 21, of Conway View, Harehills, Leeds, was acquitted of the charge on the directions of the judge earlier in the trial.

The jury was previously told that Maria Rakova, 22; Ivana Holubova, 23, both of Brompton Road, East Bowling; Muhammad Mughal, 32, of Hartman Place, Toller Lane, Bradford, and Muhammad Usman, 24, of Lambton Terrace, Harehills, Leeds, have all pleaded guilty to the offence.

Mughal married Zlatica Holubova’s sister Ivana on December 29 last year .

At yesterday’s hearing, Miss Melly said to Zlatica Holubova: “You knew full well that the marriage was to help Mr Khan remain in the country. Is that not true?”

Holubova said: “No. I swore on the bible that I am going to tell the truth and the whole truth.”

The trial continues.