A man who tricked high-ranking judges into thinking he was a solicitor has been sentenced to 16 months in prison.
Birmingham Crown Court heard Mohammed Kabba falsely claimed to be a lawyer and intervened in an immigration case.
The judge said Kabba, 52, of Coventry Road, Birmingham, had committed such serious offences, only a custodial sentence would suffice.
Kabba had denied perverting the course of justice by pretending to be a lawyer acting on behalf of a migrant.
The court heard he had lied to both a High Court judge and an Appeal Court judge. Kabba had pretended to be a solicitor representing the migrant, Edith Asoluka, when, in February 2013, he telephoned High Court judge Mr Justice Sir John Mitting at night to make an out-of-hours legal application.
When the judge ruled against him, he then called Court of Appeal judge Sir Stephen Price Richards but was again turned down. The court heard he sowed enough confusion with Home Office officials that Miss Asoluka was not deported for almost another month.
The over-staying migrant, whom Kabba claimed to be representing, was taken off a plane to Nigeria after Kabba faxed false case details to Home Office officials.
Sentencing Kabba, Judge Melbourne Inman QC told him his actions had undermined the rule of law. He said: “Any acts which tend to pervert the course of justice strike at the heart of justice and at the heart of what lies in a democratic society. “You deliberately lied to a judge of the High Court and a judge at the Court of Appeal.”
History Of Violence
The judge accepted Kabba was “an intelligent” man who had acted on behalf of the illegal over-stayer “through a misguided but genuine belief in her case” and not for financial gain.
The Metropolitan Police said Kabba was a Sierra Leone national with indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Det Sgt Richard Ward said: “He is a single man with no family and currently resides in a bail hostel in Birmingham. He has a history of violence.” Kabba deceived the authorities for six months over the case. At a trial in June, both senior judges gave evidence against Kabba. During the case, Kabba also sacked two legal teams, the court heard and represented himself. Matthew Brook, prosecuting, said the case had cost the taxpayer £2,093 in delays, including extra accommodation costs to keep Miss Asoluka at Yarl’s Wood detention centre.