Man charged with trying to use lost passport

A Manchester man who allegedly tried to travel to London using another person's passport, which had previously been reported as lost, was remanded when he appeared in the St James Parish Court recently due to concerns about the need to confirm his true identity.

The man, who initially refused to identify himself ,but later gave his name as Marcus Mitchell, is charged with uttering forged documents. The allegations are that on October 10, Mitchell attempted to board a flight to London at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. While there he presented a passport bearing the name Sandeep Banger.

Checks of the passport revealed several discrepancies with the landing stamp, and it was eventually revealed that the passport had previously been reported as having been lost. Mitchell was taken into custody and questioned, following which he was charged.

"What is your name?" presiding judge Sasha Ashley asked Mitchell after the allegations were read in court.

"I refuse to answer that without my solicitor [lawyer]," Mitchell answered.

"Who is your solicitor?" Ashley inquired.

"I am not aware of that," Mitchell answered.

"What is your name?" the clearly frustrated Ashley asked again.

"Marcus Mitchell," the defendant then responded reluctantly.

"Your identity is in question and so I cannot give you bail at this time. You have to remain with the police," Ashley informed him.

"Are you on any kind of medication?" the judge then asked.

"I have an asthma problem, but I need Ventolin," said Mitchell, referencing a medical asthma pump.

The court subsequently ordered that a social-enquiry report should be prepared for Mitchell to determine his background. He was then remanded until November 18, when his case will be mentioned.