Woman got Irish man to pretend he was her child's father to obtain passport, court hears

Olivia Kelleher

A woman who got an Irish man to pretend he was the biological father of her fourth baby in order to obtain a birth certificate and passport for the child used the act of fraud to secure immigration rights for herself and other family members.

Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard that the 44-year-old woman was ultimately able to obtain citizenship for herself, her husband and other family members arising out of the initial deception.

Det Sgt Keith Cleary of the Garda National Immigration Bureau told Judge Helen Boyle that the woman moved to Ireland in 2008 on a student visa.

He said the defendant had lived with the biological father of her children since she relocated to Ireland.

Dy Sgt Cleary said that the woman gave birth to a child in 2008. The following year, she got an Irish man to put his name down on the birth certificate as the father.

He said the woman manipulated a man with certain vulnerabilities. That man previously received a suspended sentence for his role in the fraud.

The woman, who cannot be named as it would identify her child, pleaded guilty to falsely claiming that the Irish man was the father of her child and to three counts of providing false information in passport applications in 2009, 2012 and 2017.

Dt Sgt Cleary said obtaining the false Irish passport for the child gave the woman an immigration advantage. She was subsequently able to apply for an Irish passport for herself and her other children.

The woman obtained Irish citizenship 10 years ago and her husband was “last across the line”, being naturalised in 2017.

Dt Sgt Cleary said the man who pretended to be the biological child of the woman’s fourth child was “out of his depth” and “felt obliged” to help her.

Dt Sgt Cleary said when the woman was arrested in 2023, she claimed it was all “a big mistake” and that she simply had “wanted to name him [the Irish man] as a guardian.”

He said the actions of the woman had called in to question “the integrity of both the Irish birth certificate registration system and the Irish passport system.”

Sentencing in the case was adjourned until June 26th next to allow for a preparation of a psychiatric report. Judge Boyle said the presence of psychiatric issues in the background could have an impact on the outcome of the case.

The first charge stated that the woman provided information which was false or misleading contrary to Section 69 Subsection 3 of the Civil Registration Act 2004, namely that on July 29th, 2009 at the Civil Registration Office, Adelaide Street, Cork, did provide to the registrar, particulars of information which you knew to be false or misleading, knowingly providing false information naming (another defendant) as the biological father of her child.

The other three charges under the Passports Act 2008 relate to applications for passport renewal for a child.