Winston Bailey had already boarded his flight for Curacao, awaiting its departure when police personnel removed him from the aircraft at the Norman Manley International Airport last Tuesday.

He was brought before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, accused of forgery and uttering forged documents.

The investigating officer in the matter yesterday told that courts they were acting on information when they accosted Bailey. He said a search of the accused man's car which was parked at the airport turned up a forged Tax Registration Number card, National Insurance Scheme (NIS) card, along with the forged passport he was about to travel on, all bearing the name Fitzroy Anthony Godfrey. The officer said Bailey had travelled on the forged passport extensively as it had a valid American visa.

Tom Tavares-Finson, Bailey's attorney, told the courts that his client had applied for an American visa under his real name, Winston Bailey, over 10 years ago and was turned down. His client, he continued, then reapplied, using forged documents, and the visa was granted. Tavares-Finson said the act, falsifying the document, was a youthful mistake made by his client in his younger days.

Resident Magistrate Glen Brown said he needed to have dialogue with the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency in order to complete the matter as after the accused's passport expired some years ago, he applied for a new passport under the Fitzroy Anthony Godfrey, which was granted.