A St Ann man who tried to leave Jamaica using a fraudulent Canadian visa was sentenced to a 12-month probation in the Montego Bay Resident Magis-trate's Court yesterday.

A social enquiry report presented to the court stated that Junior Beckford, 28, of Mamee Bay, was a hard-working individual who was naïve in his actions leading up to the offence and said he was remorseful for his actions. His records also indicate that he has no previous conviction.

He pleaded guilty to uttering a forged document in April and was granted $80,000 after the court ordered a social enquiry report for him. The court was told that Beckford, who is a dancer and diver, did not have any criminal reasons for acquiring the documents.

irregularities

He was arrested on April 25 after he checked in at the Sangster International Airport to board a West Jet flight to Toronto, Canada. He presented a Jamaican passport with a Canadian visa to an immigration officer. However, the document was taken to the immigration office after irregularities were noticed. Beckford's first name was on his passport but was missing from the visa along with other security features. It was subsequently confirmed that the document was forged.