Woman jailed for taking fraudulent citizen tests

A woman who used "an array of wigs" while completing UK citizenship tests for other people has been sentenced to more than four years in jail.

Josephine Maurice, from Enfield in north London, pretended to be both women and men when she took the Life in the UK Test on behalf of 13 applicants between 1 June 2022 and 14 August 2023.

Maurice, a former bus driver, had pleaded guilty to 13 counts of fraud, a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud and two counts of possession of another person's identity documents.

Sentencing her on Tuesday, District Judge Anthony Callaway, sentencing on Tuesday, described Maurice's actions as "wholesale assault" on the immigration system.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court, Judge Callaway said there was a "clear advantage" to people who wanted to progress towards citizenship without following all the procedures.

The Life in the UK Test is a requirement for anyone seeking to obtain indefinite leave to remain or to become a British citizen.

It consists of 24 questions aimed at proving the applicant has sufficient knowledge of British values, history and society.

Applicants pay £50 to take the test, which includes questions such as "who was king of England at the time of the Norman invasion in 1066?" and "how often does Prime Minister's Questions occur when Parliament is sitting?"

The judge told Maurice, who appeared via videolink from HMP Bronzefield: "You attended test centres fraudulently undertaking Life in the UK Tests on behalf of other persons who, naturally, were supposed to and were intended to be there.

"It is clear that the fraud was deliberate and sophisticated and involved the alteration of identity documents, travel documents, false wigs and other matters.

"The geography was varied. You attended in person a variety of centres in London and elsewhere including Stratford, Luton, Hounslow, Reading, Oxford, Nottingham and Milton Keynes."

Provisional driving licences were found at her home after her arrest earlier this year.

Prosecutor Nana Owusuh said it is difficult for investigators to quantify the financial benefits of the "well organised" scam or to "calibrate any gains".

Defence lawyer Stephen Akinsanya told the court that Maurice was not the mastermind of the scam but the offences could potentially rise to "affecting national security if people are passing tests when they have no right to be here".

He told the court prior to her arrest she was a bus driver with Arriva and looking after her 25-year-old son who had schizophrenia.

Mr Akinsanya said: "She foolishly agreed to help someone and this is where it has landed her - in custody and away from her son who is clearly vulnerable, that's what keeps her awake at night."

Maurice was jailed for four years and six months.

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