AN illegal immigrant, who has been living in Oldbury, has been jailed for a year after police discovered he had a fake passport.

Prabinder Singh, who used the passport to obtain work, after sneaking into the country 10 years ago, could be deported back to India after serving his sentence.

Wolverhampton Crown Court was told the deception was uncovered when the 35-year-old, of Rood End Road, tried to throw the passport away being detained by police.

He had been stopped by officers with a friend in Wolverhampton’s Beatties store who was accused of trying to swap clothing bought with counterfeit currency.

Howard Searle, prosecuting, said Singh was seen to remove something from his back pocket before throwing it away.

But officers retrieved the fake Italian document, which he admitted he had bought six years earlier, but could not remember how much he paid for it or the name of the seller.

Jon Roe, defending, said Singh, who pleaded guilty to possessing a fake ID document, used the passport to gain employment in the retail trade.

"Since then he has worked extremely hard to provide for himself and his long term partner,” he said, adding: “For all intents and purposes he has been a lawful member of society, but, unfortunately, it is a society he has no lawful right to be part of because he entered this country illegally.

“He now faces the prospect of deportation which fills him with fear because he has no family in India."