Brian St Louis and Frances Ridout have secured the acquittal of a defendant charged with being part of a conspiracy to supply 210 false ‘refugee passports’ over a five year period. The trial at Canterbury Crown Court involved complex issues surrounding immigration breaches, expert intermediary evidence, and foreign evidence.
The Crown alleged that the seven defendants (all associated with Armour Security based in South London) acted together with a corrupt civil servant (previously convicted and sentenced to 9 years imprisonment) to supply the documents to individual recipients who had pre ordered them with photographs and new identities. 96 of these individuals had a connection through family ties or employment to the Armour Group of companies. The unanimous acquittal of their client on this serious charge came after a trial lasting 12 weeks.
