Carpenter forges passport to visit sick wife in Canada; jailed for 7 months

[www.inewsguyana.com] – A Carpenter will now spend seven months in prison for the offense of uttering a forged document to an Immigration Officer at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

Thirty-two-year-old Mahes Baychan of Lot 83 Public Road Patentia, West Bank Demerara made his appearance before Magistrate Ann McLennan on Friday, September 04 where he pleaded guilty to the charge.

The court heard that on September 03 at the CJIA, he uttered a forged passport to Dawn Aubrey Bell at Suriname Airways, knowing same to be false. He was preparing to board a flight to Canada.

Baychan was represented by Attorney-at-Law, Paul Fung-a-Fat, who expressed his client’s regret at the incident. He begged the court not to impose a custodial sentence.

According to the lawyer, his client’s wife is suffering from a chronic illness, thus the reason why he forged a document so that he could visit her in Canada.

Police Prosecutor, Dinero Jones told the court on the day in question, Baychan was an outgoing passenger at CJIA where he uttered the forged passport bearing the name of Rovin Mahes. The said passport bore a picture with his identification and was forged.

He was subsequently arrested and escorted to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), where he revealed that someone gave him the passport to go to Canada.