Gambian jailed over allegations of deceptions

By Kemo Cham
A Gambian immigrant has been jailed in the United Kingdom, accused of a series of deceptive acts aimed at enriching himself. Ahmed Jobe, 32, is presently the subject of the British press, not just for his alleged crimes, but the fact that he is accused of marrying a British woman, said to be his second wife, despite been already married to another woman, a Gambian he met in the UK. Jobe’s British wife told a court in the English city of Leads that she had been allegedly forced into the ceremony in The Gambia by him and his family. Jobe’s other crimes include obtaining a stolen passport and adopting a new identity after his student visa expired two years after his arrival in the country in 1999. The court also heard how the Gambian married his first wife under the stolen identity of a Liverpool-born Carl Davies. The prosecution alleged that Jobe met and pursued his second wife, and married her with the intention of legalizing his stay in the UK under his genuine identity. Eventually, Jobe and his British born wife visited The Gambia, where they got married. The woman however claimed that she had been tricked into marrying Jobe, even though photos of the marriage ceremonies showed a happy bride. But the couple separated the following year, on their return to the UK. Jobe is alleged to have lied to the UK authorities by claiming he was still with his wife. The judge hearing the case jailed Jobe for a total of four years and three months after a jury found him guilty of 10 assorted charges last week. The Gambian got 18 months jail term for allegedly handling stolen goods; 18 months for forgery; 12 months (to be served concurrently) for using a false instrument with intent, using a copy of a false instrument, dishonestly obtaining a money transfer by deception and possession of a false identity document; nine months for two counts of perverting the course of justice and perjury; and six months for obtaining leave to remain in the UK by deception, according to a report on the  Yorkshire Evening Post. “This marriage was bigamous. When the marriage failed, he (Jobe] lied to the UK authorities to achieve indefinite leave to remain,” the paper quoted Judge Kershaw. Using the forged passport belonging to Carl Davies, which had gone missing in the post, Jobe allegedly, obtained a UK driving license; a £54,950 mortgage from the Bank of Scotland; and a £12,260 loan from HSBC, which the report said he failed to repay. The court hearing Ahmed Jobe’s trial also heard accounts of old offences, among them an earlier appeal against a speeding conviction at Leeds Crown Court, a case that heard the Gambian cautioned over a public order offense. Jobe was also said to have been arrested in 2008 on allegation of ‘‘a range of fraudulently’’ obtained documents, which were found in his house after a search. Judge Kershaw added: “This was a course of dishonest conduct extending from 2002 to 2008 which was designed to obtain false identification and to remain in the UK.” Accordingly, Jobe faces deportation when he is released from prison.