A TEENAGE asylum seeker caught using a fake identity card to obtain employment was spared jailed yesterday.

Simon Abraham and other members of his family had been imprisoned in their native Eritrea in West Africa for their Christian beliefs.

He fled to Britain after his release, eventually arriving on Tyneside and hoping he would be granted asylum, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

But he was arrested after presenting a forged French identity document to employment agencies on three separate occasions, the court was told.

Abraham, 19, of Kings Meadow, Cruddas Park, Newcastle, admitted three counts of possessing a false document with intent to deceive.

He was sentenced to 26 weeks imprisonment suspended 12 months with a condition of electronically monitored curfew.

Stuart Graham, defending, said: “His background is one of tragedy.

“He fled Eritrea because he practices as a Christian.

“He and his family and a number of friends in his home village were taken away and imprisoned for that very thing.

“He has lost his mother and sister and has been unable to contact his father since his release from jail.

“He still hasn’t been given a date for his immigration hearing or even how long it may be and he is at the mercy of the court.”

Source: Press Display