Dawn Otewell is 68 years old and has seven grandchildren. And a problem that won’t leave her in peace.
It all started in 2021, when loneliness led her to Tinder. There she met a man who said his name was Brian Thomas and that he was in his thirties. Over time, on WhatsApp, he confessed the truth: his name was Bright Emokpae, he was 31 years old and studied fashion in Benin City, Nigeria.
Dawn, widowed more by loneliness than by love, decided to give him a chance. They married at a registry office in Nicosia, Cyprus, in March 2022.
He returned to Nigeria to apply for a spouse visa. A year later, Dawn welcomed him at Heathrow, and her brother found him a job at a door factory. But something changed as soon as Bright had the visa in his pocket: he demanded money, sent cash to Nigeria and refused to contribute at home.
They separated in 2023, got back together after Dawn received £63,000 in compensation from the healthcare system, and he disappeared for good before Christmas 2024, just after she returned from a cruise with her brother. He blocked her on every social network.
Now he refuses to sign the divorce papers, and Dawn, whose heart is failing, believes it is because without that document he keeps his visa. And she, without a will, fears dying without being able to protect her grandchildren’s inheritance.