Sir Alan Bates gets married on Richard Branson's island

Post Office campaigner Sir Alan Bates has joined his semipermanent spouse connected Sir Richard Branson's backstage land successful the Caribbean.

The 70-year-old tied the knot with Suzanne Sercombe connected Necker Island successful the British Virgin Islands past month, the Sunday Times reported.

The brace person been unneurotic for 34 years but had ne'er married.

Sir Alan was thrust into the limelight aft an ITV play highlighted however helium led a run connected behalf of sub-postmasters wrongly prosecuted for stealing.

The Times reported the wedding was a astonishment to the caller Lady Bates, 69, who wore a prima formal she packed for the holiday.

“It conscionable seemed a bully thought being connected Necker and it being a fantastic place," Mr Bates told the paper.

Sir Richard reportedly invited the mates to the land aft Sir Alan said successful a January interrogation with the Times: "If Richard Branson is speechmaking this, I’d emotion a holiday.”

The Virgin tycoon, who officiated the ceremonial and made a speech, told the Sunday Times: “It was an implicit joyousness to play a tiny portion successful Alan and Suzanne’s emotion story, and I cognize they volition proceed to dispersed the beauteous airy they stock with everyone astir them.”

Necker Island is 1 of the astir exclusive vacation destinations successful the world, and has welcomed guests including Princess Diana, Nelson Mandela, the Obamas and Harry Styles

Sir Alan and Suzanne had poured their beingness savings into their station bureau business, but helium was sacked successful 2003 aft the faulty machine strategy showed wealth was appearing to spell missing.

He was knighted this twelvemonth successful the King's Birthday honours for his implicit 20-year run for justice.

In July helium was besides awarded a honorary instrumentality doctorate by Bangor University.

More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted by the Post Office and fixed transgression convictions betwixt 1999 and 2015, arsenic Fujitsu’s faulty Horizon IT strategy made it look arsenic though wealth was missing astatine their branches.

The Post Office Inquiry volition resume connected 23 September.