Pak national held guilty of smuggling an orphan into UK on dead daughter's passport

London, Aug 6 : A Pakistan national and taxi-driver by profession allegedly used his deceased daughter's passport to try and smuggle a girl orphaned in the 2005 earthquake into the UK.

After being held guilty, he was given a four-month prison sentence and suspended as a taxi driver for 18 months, besides being ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work.

Identified as Saftain Mahmood, the taxi driver applied for a passport using his deceased daughter Farah's details, but enclosed pictures of the other child, reported the Daily Times.

Farah had died of a brain haemorrhage eight years ago. Her father attempted to deceive the authorities after a recent visit to Pakistan to help victims of the 2005 earthquake.

Mahmood (38) was caught when the passport officials asked to meet the girl, prosecution told the Calderdale Magistrates court.

Upon his arrest, Mahmood told the police that he had wanted to offer the young girl better opportunities in Britain. Mahmood pleaded guilty to fraud by making a false representation.

The prosecution described how Mahmood sent off details of Farah's British passport with pictures of a girl he had met in the earthquake zone. The defence counsel said Mahmood had wanted to help the orphaned girl and took it upon himself to register the girl's details in Britain but now realised it was a mistake.

ANI