Woman admits passport fraud in Cork which calls into question 'integrity of Irish systems'

Cork District Court heard that the offences would have serious repercussions for the Irish birth certificate registration system and the Irish passport system

The woman admitted falsely claiming that an Irish man was the biological father of her son, and three counts of false information in passport applications in 2009, 2012 and 2017. File photo

An investigation into passport fraud which was described as calling into question “the integrity of both the Irish birth certificate registration system and the Irish passport system” resulted in a 44-year-old non-national woman pleading guilty to four fraud charges on Monday.

The woman cannot be identified as it would lead inevitably to the identification of her child which is prohibited in this case under the Children’s Act.

The 44-year-old woman was arraigned at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on four charges and she pleaded guilty to each of them. The pleas of guilty were entered as a jury was about to be sworn in for a trial of the case.

She admitted falsely claiming that an Irish man was the biological father of her son, and three counts of false information in passport applications in 2009, 2012 and 2017. This man previously pleaded guilty to his part in this deception.

Defence senior counsel, Marjorie Farrelly, said of the woman in the circuit court on Monday: “She is under the care of a consultant psychiatrist. I am not sure if I need to extend free legal aid for that purpose.” Judge Dermot Sheehan did allow the extension of free legal aid for that purpose.

Ms Farrelly said that she would also be furnishing the court with other documentary evidence in relation to the defendant for the sentencing hearing.

On an application for a probation report, Judge Sheehan said he would not direct the preparation of one at this stage but that the matter could be revisited at the sentencing hearing if it was found to be necessary. Ms Farrelly stated that the defendant had no previous convictions and did not have any other issues.

The first charge stated that she provided information which was false or misleading contrary to Section 69 Subsection 3 of the Civil Registration Act 2004, namely that on July 29, 2009, at the Civil Registration Office, Adelaide Street, Cork, did provide to the registrar, particulars of information which you knew to be false or misleading, knowingly providing false information naming (co-defendant) as the biological father of her child.

The other three charges under the Passports Act 2008 relate to applications for passport renewal for the child.

Detective Garda Mark Hennebry of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) alleged at Cork District Court when the matter first appeared that the alleged offences would have serious repercussions for both systems — registrations of births and passport applications.

Detective Sergeant Keith Cleary of GNIB gave further related evidence. 

He said obtaining the false Irish passport for the child gave the woman an immigration advantage and she was subsequently able to apply for an Irish passport for herself and her other children who were all born here since and those passports entitled her to claim various social welfare entitlements.