KEY POINTS:
An Australian man will be spending Christmas in a New Zealand jail after trying to take on the identity of a long-dead baby to smooth the path for his family's immigration to this country.
At Wellington District Court yesterday Laurie Clarke, 42, a security officer from Sydney, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Passport Act and one of using a document for financial gain.
Prosecutor Nicola Tutt told the court that the Department of Internal Affairs received an application for a birth certificate of a baby born in 1965 who died 13 days later.
On November 27 the department received an urgent application for a passport in the baby's name, but this was not issued. On December 1 Clarke turned up at the passport office.
When questioned by police he admitted he had claimed the baby's identity.
He also applied to the Land Transport Office for a New Zealand driver's licence in the name of the deceased, using identification in that name.
Explaining the offending Clarke said he wished to stay in New Zealand and to establish himself by getting a passport and driver's licence as he wanted to get his Indonesian wife and child here.
He said he thought immigrating with his family to New Zealand was likely to be easier this way than from Australia, Ms Tutt said.
Clarke was convicted on both charges and remanded in custody until February 2 for sentencing.
Judge Bruce Davidson suggested the prosecutor might seek a victim impact statement from the family of the deceased baby, whose name was suppressed, if family could be located.
- NZPA
