10 years in Oz on fake passport

A NEW ZEALANDER who entered Australia on a fraudulent passport and evaded capture for a decade is facing up to 10 years in jail.

Hawke’s Bay man Tally Rowlands first tried to enter Australia in September 2004 but was denied entry and sent home three days later.

Soon after, Rowlands, 37, went to a relative’s house in Hastings and requested a birth certificate from his cousin. His cousin refused, so Rowlands confronted another relative at his Flaxmere home and asked him to endorse a passport application in the name of the cousin.

In early November, he submitted an urgent passport application, in the cousin’s name but with a photo of himself, and was issued a passport a few days later. He entered Australia on November 13, 2004, and spent the next 10 years living under his cousin’s name.

Police became aware of the situation in 2005 and contacted their Australian counterparts. But Rowlands was not caught until nearly a decade later after he committed criminal offending.

He was deported to New Zealand in February, met by police at the airport, and arrested.

Rowlands was charged with two offences under the Passports Act 1992: making a false statement to procure a passport; and using a passport knowing it to be false, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years jail and/or a $250,000 fine.

He appeared in Napier District Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to both charges. Lawyer Phil Jensen requested a restorative justice report and a cultural report, which will let the court hear submissions relating to Rowlands’ community and cultural background.

Judge Geoff Rea remanded him on bail to be sentenced in December.