Siege at heart of passport system
BRITAIN’S passport system is “under siege” from illegal immigrant fraudsters, a judge said yesterday.
Judge Simon Pratt made his comments as he jailed a Nigerian cleaner who was caught with two bogus passports.
He told Croydon Crown Court: “It is a prevalent offence, so prevalent it seems the whole passport system is under some kind of siege.”
The court heard how immigration officials found the passports and a forged national insurance number during a raid on Dorothy Onwumere’s home in south-east London. She told officials she paid £600 for the passports.
Onwumere, 42, who applied for leave to remain in the UK last May, was jailed for six months after admitting three charges of possessing false documents.
Last night Gerard Batten, immigration spokesman for Ukip, said: “The judge is completely right. The UK passport system is in total chaos and it is awash with fraudsters and criminals looking to make a quick buck at our expense. Anyone caught with a fake passport should be automatically deported.”
Britain's passport system is “under siege” from illegal immigrant fraudsters, a judge said yesterday
A Home Office spokesman said the woman would be sent back to Nigeria after serving her sentence.
