SERIAL bigamist Amileannya Carmichael was sentenced to six months in prison today after being described as a "very predatory female".At the 25-year-old's sentencing, in Ipswich Crown Court, Judge Peter Thompson heard Carmichael, of Hervey Street, Ipswich, had married four times, three of them bigamously.

SERIAL bigamist Amileannya Carmichael was sentenced to six months in prison today after being described as a "very predatory female".

At the 25-year-old's sentencing, in Ipswich Crown Court, Judge Peter Thompson heard Carmichael, of Hervey Street, Ipswich, had married four times, three of them bigamously.

The court heard Carmichael's first marriage came on the day of her 18th birthday, when she wed Paul John Rigby at a register office in York. The couple lived apart as Mr Rigby was in the army.

Although originally Carmichael lived in York the pair lost touch while Mr Rigby was in the services. He eventually gave up looking for her when he returned.

While still married to Mr Rigby, Carmichael re-married in 1999 to Sean Cunningham. The court then heard that Carmichael wed another man the following year by the name of Barrett.

The bigamist marriages were discovered and in August 2001 Carmichael was cautioned for bigamy by West Yorkshire Police.

In February 2002 she met a man named James Matthews on a train and they began a whirlwind courtship.

The court heard Carmichael told Mr Matthews that her first marriage had been annulled because it had not been consummated and that her second marriage had also been annulled.

The evening before the couple's marriage in Ipswich on March 5, 2002, Mr Matthews was told by a friend that Carmichael had been married three times previously, but she told him she was divorced.

The couple's marriage lasted just three months and Carmichael left Mr Matthews to move in with a friend in July 2002.

Judge Thompson heard Carmichael had used four different names for each of her different husbands.

When Carmichael was arrested in January 2003 she admitted to police immediately that she had committed bigamy telling them: "Well yeah I'm guilty aren't I?"

She then made a further full confession when interviewed.

In mitigation Charles Riddleston said: "There is nothing that is before the court from either Mr Matthews' statements that would lead Your Honour to conclude he suffered injury either at all or to any extent, that would lead to Your Honour to send this lady to prison."

Mr Riddleston added that Mr Matthews had brought up the subject of Carmichael's third marriage in conversation with the woman he knew as Emily a week later and she admitted she was still married.

When Miss Carmichael moved out in July 2002 Mr Riddleston said that Mr Matthews wanted her back and the relationship to continue but it did not.

The court was told a psychiatrist had assessed Carmichael and diagnoses she was suffering from a condition that alternates between periods of excitement and depression.

Medical reports also showed that she had histrionic personality disorder and a dissocial personality disorder.

Mr Riddlestone said: "All is not well with this young lady and I would ask the court to take this into account."

The reports also showed that Carmichael attempted to compensate for feelings of being unloved and unwanted by her parents.

Passing sentence Judge Thompson said: "It does seem to me that you were a very cool customer. You might be described as a very predatory female."