Man, 27, who tried to use fake ‘fit-to-fly’ Covid travel certificate to board plane from Heathrow to Egypt avoids jail
- Document discovered when Emmanuel Nere Mehari was stopped at Terminal 2
- Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court was told Mehari was trying to visit unwell relative
- He claimed to not know a certificate or negative coronavirus test was required
- Authorities let him board plane but then received a call telling them it was a fake
- Mehari, of Dimsdale Drive, north west London, spoke only to enter his plea today
A 27-year-old man who used a fake ‘fit-to-fly’ Covid certificate, which he used to try and board a plane from Heathrow to Egypt has avoided jail.
Emmanuel Nere Mehari was stopped at the west London airport’s Terminal 2 on April 12 and the forged document was discovered.
Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court heard that Mehari was trying to visit an unwell relative but did not know that a certificate or negative coronavirus test was required.
Airport authorities checked his document and despite suspicions allowed him to board the plane, before receiving a call back from the clinic that had provided the certificate telling them it was a fake.
He was sentenced to a 12-month community order and given 180 hours of unpaid work, as well as a fine of £180.
Travelling abroad from the UK is illegal under current lockdown rules, but for a few exceptions, including visiting a dying relative.
In order to do so, however, passengers need to provide a negative Covid test or a ‘fit-to-fly’ certificate, providing evidence they have undergone screening prior to the flight.
However, there are concerns over how much these cost to obtain privately, with some firms charging up to £200, meaning some are turning to counterfeit certificate producers in order to try and board flights overseas.
Emmanuel Nere Mehari pleaded guilty to possession of a fake ‘fit-to-fly’ Covid certificate, which he used to try and board a plane from Heathrow to Egypt
The 27-year-old was stopped at the west London airport’s Terminal 2 (pictured) on April 12 and the forged document was discovered
Jyothi Somavarapu, prosecuting, said Mehari had provided a type of certificate the desk assistant had ‘not seen before’ and was unable to answer ‘basic questions’ about the document, such as when and where he had acquired it.
‘Emmanuel was unable to answer her questions and started to become argumentative,’ she said.
‘(He) was unable to prove where the test certificate had come from and…didn’t have an email.’
Ms Somavarapu said that a call to the clinic had been made, the certificate had been validated, and Mehari had been allowed to board the plane.
But the airline had been called back by the clinic which stated Mehari had not attended himself and that the document had been altered.
‘This certificate was a fake,’ said Ms Somavarapu, adding that the effects of the offences ‘could have been disastrous’.
Mehari, of Dimsdale Drive, north west London, was charged with possessing or controlling an article for use in fraud.
He appeared in court in person this morning, dressed in a thick coat and a black face mask and spoke only to enter his guilty plea.
He appeared in court in person this morning, dressed in a thick coat and a black face mask and spoke only to enter his guilty plea
Sarj Patel, defending, said that Mehari had been on his way to Egypt to visit and care for his cousin, who was ill, but was ‘not aware at all’ that a certificate had been required to travel.
‘He began to panic,’ he said.
‘In that moment of desperation…he just made a foolish decision to go along with someone who was attempting to help him.
‘He didn’t even look at (the certificate)…it was a decision made minutes before he presented it to the desk assistant.
‘He was involved through exploitation by another…taking advantage.’
Mr Patel said that Mehari’s actions had been a failure in ‘safeguarding others’ during the pandemic but said that he was remorseful for his actions.
Sentencing Mehari, magistrate Inder Birdi said: ‘That charge and that incident could have caused a lot of harm to a lot of people.
‘It is aggravated by the pandemic.
‘You have told us your mother is an NHS worker so you should have been aware of the restrictions.’
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