A woman has been cleared of using a fake passport in an attempt to get a National Insurance number at the Department for Work and Pensions in Bedford.
Saziso Momodu, from Northampton, had a Zimbabwean passport for proof of ID when she made her application in January of this year.
But Luton crown court was told staff at the office were suspicious about the passport and when it was subjected to further scrutiny it was found to be fake.
As a result Mrs Momodu, 38, of Montgomery Way, Northampton, was arrested and went on trial accused of possessing an identity document with improper use and fraud by making a false representation.
Charles Judge prosecuting said the defendant, who came to the UK in 2009, made an appointment to visit the office in Bedford on January 16 this year. While there, the jury was told, she completed an application form and produced two identification documents.
One was a resident’s permit card and the other was the Zimbabwean passport.
It was that document, said Mr Judge, which was found to be phoney and, in February of this year, she was arrested.
In an interview, Mrs Momodu claimed that as far as she was concerned the passport was genuine and she pointed out she had previously used it to travel to Ireland and Nigeria without any problems.
She was found not guilty by a jury who had deliberated for 3 hours 7 minutes. Northampton Herald & Post
Discover more from Nehanda Radio
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
