James BryceEXCLUSIVE by James Bryce
A WEDDING association is being set up in a bid to clamp down on a spate of fake vicars emerging in Spain.
The initiative will see potential members undergo a rigorous vetting process to ensure they are capable and qualified to undertake services here.
It comes after the Olive Press revealed last issue that a number of people had lost money to a fake reverend Alan McLean (above), who vanished without completing his contractual obligations.
Others have since come forward to condemn McLean, including one couple who rented a property to him in Competa.
They insist he failed to pay his rent and falsely claimed expenses for replacing a damaged bed, before disappearing overnight leaving the house ‘stinking and dirty’.
Founder of the Association for Wedding Professionals within Europe Jennifer McCloy said the scheme was a bid to self-govern the industry, which is not currently regulated.
She said it was vital to regulate a growing trend that sees thousands of foreigners married in Spain each year.
“There has been a lot of money lost over the years.This is the first step towards restoring confidence,” McCloy told the Olive Press.
“Everybody has a right to a professional service, and given that it is one of the biggest single expenses people make, it is important to know the process is legitimate.”
MacLean is a compulsive liar. He has not only pretended to be a Catholic priest, in itself a crime of morality, but he cheated several people including me, a bona fide minister out of money, lying and manipulating in the most appalling way. H