Alimony ambush nets groom at wedding

Saturday, December 11, 2004 Reuters

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- An Israeli man who refused to provide child support to his ex-wife for nearly eight years finally had to start paying up when he remarried and police raided the reception to seize wedding gifts. The 40-year-old man had managed to avoid payments since 1997 by frequently changing address to escape the clutches of the law, Israel's Maariv daily reported on Friday. With 198,000 shekels ($45,530) owed to her, his ex-wife finally tracked him down when a relative passed on a copy of a wedding invitation for his second marriage this week. Police and bailiffs allowed the newlyweds to celebrate before confronting the groom and confiscating the wedding hall's safe in which guests had deposited cash and cheques, a tradition for Israeli nuptials. Police decided not to arrest the stunned groom, but that was of little consolation to his distraught bride, who fainted as her wedding turned into a nightmare.