The man who called in a bomb hoax on his wedding day

Neil had forgotten to fill in the forms to marry the “love of his life” Amy Williams, but could not face telling her that the big day “that was all she talked about” was not going to happen.

Instead of saying “we need to talk” the 36-year-old called the hotel with a bomb threat.

Neil McArdle makes his way into court.

As his bride got ready for her wedding he slipped out of their house in Kirkby, Merseyside, went to a phone box, disguised his voice and rang Liverpool Register Office, claiming: “This is not a hoax call. There’s a bomb in St George’s Hall and it will go off in 45 minutes.”

The call, 11 days after the Boston Marathon bombing, provoked “terror” at the office inside the neo-classical edifice of St George’s Hall in the centre of Liverpool, which was immediately evacuated and emergency services called.

Miss Williams was left standing outside in her wedding dress with her mother and the rest of the wedding party as the area swarmed with police racing to the scene.

St George's Hall, the site of the non-existent-wedding and bomb hoax.

Unfortunately for McArdle, the all-clear was shortly sounded and the guests were allowed to proceed with the weddings of the day a little late - and so Neil was shortly found out.

Police quickly traced the call and he was arrested the same day.

But here's the rather nice part: his fiancée is standing by him and they're still together. His defence attorney told the court that she got up at 4am on what she thought was her wedding day and put on her dress.

“She looked amazing. He just could not get out the words to her to tell her what he had not done in relation to the forms,” he said.

“If any individual should abandon him, has been humiliated by him, the fact that she stands with him speaks volumes for her and I hope volumes for him."

Neil McArdle has been sent to jail for 12 months.