Ten months jail for man with false French identity card at Kildare court

A man who has been housed at the Eyre Powell Hotel in Newbridge for the past seven years while seeking asylum has been jailed for 10 months for having a false French identity document.

At Naas District Court on February 28, Oussama Denine, 36, of Eyre Powell Hotel, who has been in custody on the charge since January 23, was convicted of having the false French identity in his room at the Eyre Powell on October 22 2018. He pleaded guilty to the charge.

Seven years waiting

At an earlier sitting in January, Tim Kennelly, solicitor for Mr Denine, said his client had been in the hotel for the past seven years waiting for an adjudication in his application for asylum and found it “incredibly frustrating.”

Mr Kennelly said his client had a PPS number and was working in a warehouse.

At the February 28 sitting, a prosecuting garda said they were told the defendant only used the ID to work in a meat factory in Kildare.

The court heard Mr Denine, who is facing another separate charge, had no previous convictions.

Mr Kennelly said his client had answered all questions put to him.

But the prosecuting garda told the court that Mr Denine has been asked to fill in forms for the Algerian embassy, but had not done that.

Mr Kennelly said his client wanted to stay in Ireland and had a lot of friends here.

The solicitor said he created the ID to get work. “His only crime is that he wanted to stay in the country,” Mr Kennelly told the court.

Judge Zaidan said that the law required people to be returned from the EU country from which they left for Ireland. The garda replied that it was sometimes difficult to prove the EU origin of the person.