Passports ‘robbery’ was a sham, jury told

PASSPORT control . . . the scene of the theft at 3M in Gorse Street, Chadderton

Two van couriers staged a “sham” robbery of thousands of blank passports and visas “of huge potential value to criminals”, a jury was told yesterday.

Driver Stephen Shaw and his driver’s mate, Alan Burke from Hathershaw, claimed they were robbed by a gang of men shortly after they picked up the delivery at a printworks in Chadderton.

They said the raiders struck when Shaw popped out to a newsagent and left the van unlocked with the keys in the ignition.

Manchester Crown Court was told the couriers were in fact part of a plot to steal a huge number of blank passports.

Opening the case, Paul Mitchell said: “It does not require much of an imagination to work out the potential value of genuine blank British passports and visa strips. They are items of huge potential value to criminals of all types.”

Boxes containing more than 3,650 passports and 8,100 visas were supposed to be delivered from Chadderton firm 3M in Gorse Street to RAF Northolt in Middlesex in the early morning of July 28, last year. They were then destined for various locations worldwide.

Instead of driving directly to the military base, Shaw and Burke stopped after a short distance at the newsagent’s store in Long Lane, Chadderton. Shaw got out while Burke remained in the passenger seat.

Mr Mitchell said: “An eyewitness saw a car pull up behind the parked van and two passengers get out.

“The two men got into the van on either side of Burke and drove away. It was driven a short distance into a small dead end street adjacent to the M60. One witness remarked that ‘nothing about the incident made me think it was a robbery’, another said ‘everything had seemed calm and controlled.’”

Burke later claimed the “robbers” had smashed his head twice into the dashboard and threatened him with an implement. But Burke had no obvious injuries and declined medical treatment.

All but 200 of the passports and 3,600 visas were taken in the supposed raid, Mr Mitchell added.

Shaw and Burke did not report anything until they returned to their employers, Knutsford-based Sameday, 45 minutes later.

Mr Mitchell said: “The Crown says there is no question that the robbery was a sham.”

Substantial evidence had already been provided with Burke pleading guilty to conspiring to steal the passports and visas, he told the jury.

Shaw (57), of Droylsden, denies the same charge.

Mohammed Khan (53), of Werneth; Mohammed Shanawaz (23), of Chadderton; Jawad Karim (18), of Oldham; Muneer Hussain (30), of Oldham; Mohammed Fiaz (34), of Stretford; and Mubashar Iqbal (22), of Oldham; also deny conspiracy to steal 3,650 passports and 8,100 visas.

Khan, Shanawaz, Karim, Hussain, Fiaz and an eighth defendant, Nisar Ahmed, of Oldham, also deny conspiring to dishonestly receive stolen goods.

Proceeding.