An illegal immigrant couple – whose Lewisham home was a HQ for producing bogus documents – were arrested during a swoop, which smashed an “organised set up” a court heard.
Abiola Olatunji-Orelope, 33, and his wife Folashade Olatunji-Orelope, 28, of Claxton Path, (pictured) were removed from the property along with 60-70 passports, forged marriage and death certificates, national insurance cards and other bogus identity documents.
“This was quite an organised set up,” prosecutor Miss Katherine Mansfield told Croydon Crown Court. “Strewn about the house in envelopes and carrier bags were handwritten details of various people, dates of birth and addresses.”
Abiola pleaded guilty to possessing articles in relation to making false identity documents; using a false national insurance card to obtain leave to remain in the UK and possessing a false identity document, namely a French passport.
Mother-of-three Folashade pleaded guilty to possessing a false identity document, with intent, namely a Nigerian passport.
The UK Border Agency became suspicious of Abiola’s application for permanent leave to remain because he supported it with a forged national insurance card.
Armed with a warrant, officials raided the couple’s rented home on September 9, last year.
“In the couple’s room a considerable amount of documents were found stuffed inside a carrier bag hidden in the airing cupboard,” explained Miss Mansfield.
“Also found were passport-sized photographs, superglue, a metal ruler, razor blades and ink thinner.
“It was quite clearly a kit for the manufacture of false documents and also included the laminate sheets for passport pages already embossed.”
Officers found further passports and identity cards in the kitchen.
“Neither of the defendants have leave to remain in the UK,” added Miss Mansfield.
When Abiola’s phone was checked it contained text messages from people requesting identity documents, including utility bills.
He has been in the UK since 1994 and the couple’s children are aged four, three and eighteen months.
They will be sentenced on April 11.
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