Passport officer used his position to illegally obtain a passport for a girl now jailed
A PASSPORT Office worker has been jailed for illegally obtaining a passport for a girl.
Irfan Khaliq was a passport official
Irfan Khaliq, 35, was contacted by a woman in Pakistan to get a passport for her daughter, claiming she was being abused.
He used the computer at the Peterborough office to get details of the girl's father – a British citizen – for an application.
The document was issued to the girl – now in the UK.
They are risking the security of the country
Peterborough Crown Court heard she would have been entitled to a British passport if an application had been made with the help of her father – but he did not want to.
A decision about the girl’s future status here has not been made.
Khaliq, from Peterborough, was caught when the father complained to the Passport Office about his details being used.
The court heard that the father did not want to help with the daughter's passport application
Sentencing him to a year’s jail, Judge David Farrell said: “Anyone who uses their position of trust at the Passport Office to fraudulently cause a passport to be issued commits a serious offence.
“They are risking the security of the country.”
Roy James, defending, said Khaliq is the breadwinner for his family.
Judge Farrell was asked to consider a suspended sentence but said the breach of trust was too serious.