A PREGNANT mother who used a fake passport to gain employment at a care home 'to feed and house' her family has been jailed for six months.

Temee Kangootui, 42, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing identity documents with intent and one count of fraud by false representation and was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Prosecuting, Lucie Taylor said Kangootui joined as a member of staff at Grassington House, a residential care home on Prince of Wales Road in Dorchester, in a permanent capacity on December 24, 2019.

The court heard Kangootui, of Grove Road, Portland, used a Dutch passport and a driving licence as a form of identification to gain employment. Her documents were sent to the Home Office and the passport was found to be forged. Authorities from the Netherlands confirmed there was no passport with that number. They added that there once was - but that it was reported lost in 2014 and that the number had not been used or registered since.

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Ms Taylor said that in interview Kangootui confirmed that she was from Namibia and only ever used her passport to gain employment as a cleaner. The defendant said she obtained the passport from a man who offered to sponsor her for £10,000. She said she was familiar with the process of obtaining a passport but thought that the passport was genuine and that the amount of money she paid reflected its cost.

The prosecutor said was no evidence of additional harm caused to the care home or the residents by Kangootui.

However, Ms Taylor also said that this type of offending does have an impact on the industry and can reduce public trust and potentially puts people in care at risk.

Mitigating, Richard Wayman, said Kangootui had two daughters, aged 17 and seven, who both lived with her as she worked.

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He said the offending had taken place to 'feed and house her family'.

He said: "She tells me she doesn't have anybody else to look after them. She is also pregnant and is due to give birth in October."

Mr Wayman said that a pre-sentence report assessed her as being 'no risk to anybody'.

Recorder Daniel Sawyer said that Kangootui had come to the UK legitimately on a student visa and was in the country legitimately for 'some time' but added that it expired in 2010. At some point Kangootui obtained a counterfeit passport and driving licence.

Mr Sawyer said: "Using those documents you obtained work at Grassington House. You also said that you came by these documents legitimately from a man whose surname you didn't know."

He added: "When it comes to sentencing for false identity documents the case law is very clear. For using false documents to gain employment you can expect to go to prison. The law is very clear that this is because these offences undermine the entire system of passport immigration control.

"It can also have a grave effect on employers."

Kangootui was sentenced to total of six months imprisonment and must pay a £122 victim surcharge.

The care home did not want to comment.