A school teacher who had wives on both sides of the Atlantic was facing the sack today after being jailed for bigamy.
Sneaky Christopher Doyle, 46, married his first wife Sandra Stolberg, 44, after he was posted to the United States with the RAF.
They married in November 2007 but later split after she discovered he was having an affair and Doyle returned to Britain.
He retrained as a history teacher and met Lucy Ford, 39, and the pair married in February – despite never divorcing his first wife.
Doyle, of Mousehole near Penzance in Cornwall, was arrested after police were tipped off – by his own MOTHER.
He later admitted one charge of bigamy and was initially jailed for four months.
But Doyle was freed on appeal on Tuesday after serving just six days and his sentence reduced to a suspended jail term.
But he now faces losing his job at Tretherras School, a Specialist Technology College in Newquay, Cornwall.
Richard Simeons, chairman of governors, said a decision would be made “in a short time”.
He said: ”As with any member of staff who has been convicted of a criminal offence there would be a review.
”We would consider all aspects and look at it dispassionately in order to reach the right decision for the individual, for the school and for the pupils.”
Doyle was jailed for bigamy on August 12 but served just six days before an appeal hearing at Truro Crown Court.
The appeal court heard Doyle, who served in the first Gulf War, married his first Sandra wife in St Louis, Missouri, in November 2007.
But prosecutor Ramsey Quaiffe said the marriage broke down after she discovered he was having an affair with another woman.
He said: ”Within days of that marriage Sandra Stolberg discovered this appellant’s mobile telephone and examined it.
”She realised the appellant had been in a relationship with another lady both before and during their engagement and marriage.”
He then left Sandra and moved back to Britain where he retrained as a history teacher in Cornwall and met Lucy Ford.
By January this year Doyle and Lucy were planning their wedding and his mother contacted Sandra to tell her that her son was to marry again.
The marriage went ahead and his mum – who was not invited to the wedding – eventually informed officers that her son was a bigamist.
He claimed he tried to contact his first wife about a divorce in November last year but ”did not follow it up”.
The court heard Sandra later told police that Doyle’s actions had left her with ”psychological scars that run so deep I can no longer trust men”.
Defence barrister Michael Gregson said Lucy told officers during the investigation: ”I love him and cannot believe he did this to wilfully hurt me.”
He said Doyle could not account for why he had not got his first marriage annulled or dissolved before his second wedding.
Judge Paul Darlow said he accepted that Lucy Ford was ”out of all those involved, the person who stood to be most hurt”.
Doyle was re-sentenced to two months in prison, suspended for 12 months and left the court with Lucy.
Tretherras School, which became a Specialist Technology College in 1997, is a comprehensive which educates 1,600 students aged 11 to 18.
A spokesman for Cornwall Council said it was a matter ”entirely for the governing body”.
I had been Mr. Doyle's best friend for sixteen years, having met him during the first Gulf War while I was in the U.S.Army at the time he visited us and decided to marry Ms. Stolberg (our neighbor). I did not find out 'til after wards that his plan as to get a green card and then skip off to go live with his mistress on the east coast. He did not come to the states through the RAF, he did it to take a Microsoft engineering course; the woman he was in love with at the time paid for the course and his flight over -and she is still trying to collect £6000 from him.
I had been Mr. Doyle's best friend for sixteen years, having met him during the first Gulf War while I was in the U.S.Army at the time he visited us and decided to marry Ms. Stolberg (our neighbor). I did not find out 'til after wards that his plan as to get a green card and then skip off to go live with his mistress on the east coast. He did not come to the states through the RAF, he did it to take a Microsoft engineering course; the woman he was in love with at the time paid for the course and his flight over -and she is still trying to collect £6000 from him.
I met Chris Doyle in Saudi Arabia in February of '91 during the first Gulf War, we became the best of friends; he was my best man at my wedding in Sept. of ¿98 and he came and stayed with me for three weeks in Monterey, California while I was working for a radio station on the coast amongst other trips we would both make to see one another in England and the U.S. We remained friends up until the time of his marriage to Ms. Stolberg (our neighbor here in the States) which took place here in St. Louis in Nov. ¿07.
My wife and I knew it was doomed but he would not listen to me. His subsequent actions and behavior cost our friendship. I was forced to learn a great deal about Mr. Doyle that I did not want to believe¿ some of it I still cannot believe.
I think he believed that Ms. Stolberg would just let him get a green card(U.S. immigration document ) and go off and live with his girlfriend on the East coast.
I would like to think that he has truly changed but only time will tell whether he will repeat past behaviors with Ms. Lucie Ford.
All statements contained herein can be substantiated.
I met Chris Doyle in Saudi Arabia in February of '91 during the first Gulf War, we became the best of friends; he was my best man at my wedding in Sept. of ¿98 and he came and stayed with me for three weeks in Monterey, California while I was working for a radio station on the coast amongst other trips we would both make to see one another in England and the U.S. We remained friends up until the time of his marriage to Ms. Stolberg (our neighbor here in the States) which took place here in St. Louis in Nov. ¿07.
My wife and I knew it was doomed but he would not listen to me. His subsequent actions and behavior cost our friendship. I was forced to learn a great deal about Mr. Doyle that I did not want to believe¿ some of it I still cannot believe.
I think he believed that Ms. Stolberg would just let him get a green card(U.S. immigration document ) and go off and live with his girlfriend on the East coast.
I would like to think that he has truly changed but only time will tell whether he will repeat past behaviors with Ms. Lucie Ford.
All statements contained herein can be substantiated.
Mr. Doyle left the RAF in 2005, it had not connection to his coming to the States, he did retrain as a teacher -in 2006, well before this little incident.
I know, I was Chris Doyle's best friend from 1991 to 2007, the woman he fraudulently married, sandy Stolberg is my next-door neighbor.
Mr. Doyle left the RAF in 2005, it had not connection to his coming to the States, he did retrain as a teacher -in 2006, well before this little incident.
I know, I was Chris Doyle's best friend from 1991 to 2007, the woman he fraudulently married, sandy Stolberg is my next-door neighbor.
I'm Chris' best friend for the last nineteen years…
After Mr. Doyle mentioned to me that he was seeing Ms. Lucie Ford, I asked if she knew he was married and he replied: "Yeah, she know's everything and she's ok wth it."
She clearly did not based on what I read about the situation…
I had also told his sister, Ms. Carolyn (Caz) Doyle that her brother was still married to Ms. Stolberg in November of last year; having spoken to a mutual friend of mine and Ms. Stolberg's (Ms. Francisco) and she confirmed that Sand and Chris were still husband and wife yet I cannot imagine why she did not mention it to Ms. Ford or speak up during the service when the minister asked if anyone knew of any reason why they should not be wed.
I'm Chris' best friend for the last nineteen years…
After Mr. Doyle mentioned to me that he was seeing Ms. Lucie Ford, I asked if she knew he was married and he replied: "Yeah, she know's everything and she's ok wth it."
She clearly did not based on what I read about the situation…
I had also told his sister, Ms. Carolyn (Caz) Doyle that her brother was still married to Ms. Stolberg in November of last year; having spoken to a mutual friend of mine and Ms. Stolberg's (Ms. Francisco) and she confirmed that Sand and Chris were still husband and wife yet I cannot imagine why she did not mention it to Ms. Ford or speak up during the service when the minister asked if anyone knew of any reason why they should not be wed.
I do not know if pre-nuptial agreements have validity in the UK or not but as a means of protecting Ms. Lucie Ford's finances; as she and Chris Doyle are no longer married (their marriage was voided as a result of his guilty plea) think it might be best that should/if they decide to re-marry, she should either see about a pre-nuptial agreement (where he only gets what he brought into the relationship, should they later part) or insist that they each maintain separate finances/accounts, just to ensure he is only spending ‘his’ money.
If Mr. Chris Doyle truly loves her, he will agree to this without hesitation.
I do not know if pre-nuptial agreements have validity in the UK or not but as a means of protecting Ms. Lucie Ford's finances; as she and Chris Doyle are no longer married (their marriage was voided as a result of his guilty plea) think it might be best that should/if they decide to re-marry, she should either see about a pre-nuptial agreement (where he only gets what he brought into the relationship, should they later part) or insist that they each maintain separate finances/accounts, just to ensure he is only spending ‘his’ money.
If Mr. Chris Doyle truly loves her, he will agree to this without hesitation.
he was my hostroy teacher hahaha
Check out the ‘That’s Life!’ Summer Special for a detailing of our Mr. Doyle’s exploits in the field of bigamy….
Me: “So you’re marrying Lucie? Does she know about you being married to Sandy Stolberg?”
Chris Doyle: “Yeah, and she’s cool with it.”