Kamal Bohat sentenced for supplying forged identity documents to illegal immigrants

Published: 4th February, 2011
by TERRY MESSENGER

A MAN supplying forged documents to illegal immigrants has been jailed for five and a half years.

Kamal Bohat, 44, admitted seven counts of facilitating immigration offences during his trial at Blackfriars Crown Court.

The court heard how he produced forged National Insurance cards, UK driving licences, foreign passports and other identity documents.

Chris Foster, who leads  the UK Border Agency Immigration Crime Teams, said: “There is no doubt that these documents would have ended up being used to create false identities, or help people work, claim benefits or stay illegally in the UK.”

Mr Bohat was sentenced last Wednesday after the court heard how officers from the UK Border Agency and Metropolitan Police raided La Roma Café in Blackstock Road in July 2008 and found numerous false documents, more than 100 passport-sized photographs and equipment used to make the documents. 

Further investigations and forensic evidence identified Mr Bohat as the lead person involved in the forgeries.

Police officers arrested him in west London on September 8 last year.

Jailing Mr Bohat, Judge HH Hillen said he hoped the sentence would be a deterrent.