Pic: UK Border Agency

A New Cross resident was jailed for 7 years on Wednesday after helping dozens of immigrants to stay in the UK illegally.

Winston Kabia, a 45-year-old Sierra Leonean, of New Cross Road, created fake employment letters, references and pay slips through his false companies to aid foreign nationals’ to stay in the UK.

He was arrested by the UK Border Agency’s south London Criminal and Financial Investigation team in January 2010 and convicted following a four week trial.

During the raid last year police seized passports, documents, photos and stationary emblazoned with his fake company logos. A large number of marriage certificates, Home Office application forms and ID cards were also found during the raid. Kabia denied all knowledge of the documents and could not say why the documents were in his possession.

It is also suspected that Kabia used his companies to assist the facilitation of illegal entrants in gaining residents documents enabling them to remain in the UK as the spouse of an EU national. He did this by providing false payslips stating they were gainfully employed, and self sufficient even though this was not the case.

Kabia is not and never has been qualified to give advice on immigration matters, as confirmed by witness statements obtained from the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner.

Andrew Shortland, from the UK Border Agency’s south London Criminal and Financial Investigation team, said: “Kabia ran a sophisticated scam, designed to help people who would otherwise have no right to be here stay in the UK.”

Kabia was found guilty of 17 charges of conspiring to defraud the Home Office, two charges of illegally giving immigration advice, and one charge of possessing identification documents with intent. He was cleared of a further 14 counts of conspiring to defraud the Home Office, while another two counts were ordered to lay on file.