Lesbian 'bigamist' lived with husband AND wife

Suzanne Mitchell has appeared in court accused of being the country's first lesbian 'bigamist'.

The mother of five admitted making a false statement to the registrar at her civil partnership ceremony by failing to mention she was already married.

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The bizarre saga started when Mrs Mitchell's marriage hit the rocks two years ago.

She began a relationship with a younger woman she met at a bus stop, moved her girlfriend into the family home and then 'married' her in a civil partnership ceremony.

Meanwhile, her husband Charles was forced to sleep on the sofa downstairs.

Mr Mitchell, 46, was not in court yesterday. But in a bizarre twist, he has taken his cheating wife back and the pair are living together again.

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The couple, from Ditherington, Shrewsbury, refused to comment after the brief hearing yesterday.

But it is understood they are planning to renew their wedding vows - once Mitchell 'divorces' lesbian lover Caroline Beddoes.

The Mitchells met seven years ago at the dessert factory where they worked.

Both had three sons from previous relationships. Within weeks they were engaged and living together. They married shortly afterwards.

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The love triangle began in November 2005 when Mrs Mitchell had recently given birth to her second daughter by her husband.

She met Miss Beddoes, who also had a baby, at a bus stop.

The 24-year-old secretary had recently ended her relationship with the child's father.

Mrs Mitchell, 29, said earlier this year that their affair started when she was suffering from post-natal depression.

"I was depressed and my marriage was going through a rough patch at the time," she recalled.

"Caroline regularly told me she was bisexual and fancied sex with me and Charles.

"One night after a few drinks she was round our house and we tried to talk Charles into it. But he didn't want to, so we went to bed together and left him downstairs.

"At the start it was just fun, a joke really. But we became closer and Caroline moved out of her flat and in with me and Charles moved downstairs."

Mrs Mitchell added: "Sometimes I ask myself why I did it, but I really don't know.

"The sex wasn't as good as it was with Charles."

Mrs Mitchell and Miss Beddoes had a civil partnership ceremony at Shrewsbury Register Office - the same place where she had married her husband - in February last year, three months after they met.

By then, Mr Mitchell had moved out, taking their two young daughters with him.

But within weeks Mrs Mitchell realised she had made a mistake and asked her girlfriend to leave - and her husband to come back.

She was arrested in November last year when police called at the house following a tip-off.

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At Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday, Mrs Mitchell admitted making a false statement.

She cannot be charged with bigamy because the law currently applies only to heterosexual unions.

Judge Robin Onion adjourned sentencing until next month but refused to rule out a jail term.

The Mitchells left court without commenting but in a magazine interview given before the court appearance, Mr Mitchell said he had never stopped loving his wife.

"She is not a lesbian and never has been," he said.

"Caroline took advantage of her. The worst part was sleeping downstairs on the sofa hearing them making love to each other upstairs. That was heartbreaking."

Miss Beddoes said she was trying to forget the incident and had destroyed all photos from her civil partnership.

"Nobody forced Suzanne to jump into bed with me and our love-making

was fantastic," she said. "She told me that she was divorced but that was a lie."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: "We do not keep records of ground-breaking court cases but this is the first case of its kind that I'm aware of."