A New Zealand man who had been previously deported from Australia managed to gain a fake passport under his brother’s name and travelled between the two countries 24 times.
The man, originally from Auckland was sentenced yesterday to just under 4 years in Prison.
The 62-year-old roofer was sentenced on many charges including, falsifying travel documents, theft, drink driving and cultivating cannabis.
The drink-driving charge came after he drove to a police station for a bail check and staff noticed he was showing signs of intoxication.
The court had heard that the 62-year-old was deported from Australia after being convicted 127 times, mostly due to dishonesty and fraud charges.
In 2016 he applied for a passport in the name of his brother to avoid detection by Australian authorities. He submitted a photo of himself in the application.
It was approved and he went on to use the passport on 24 occasions between November 2016 and January 2023 to travel between New Zealand and Australia.
Judge Tony Couch said that there was clear premeditation in his actions, both in applying for the passport and then using it repeatedly over six years.
His lawyer said the “chickens had come home to roost” who was now taking responsibility for his past actions.
Photo Credit: NZ Herald
