A 42-year-old man who stole the identity of his dead cousin was today jailed for eight months by a judge at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

Imtiaz Hussain was warned by Judge Nicholas Mitchell that he faces possible deportation at the end of his sentence.

Hussain, of The Grove, Hadley, Telford, admitted two offences of possession of false identification documents, a passport and driving licence, with intent.

He had been given the documents – originally belonging to the late Sajid Mahmood Hussain – when he illegally entered the UK in 1994 for an arranged marriage. 

That marriage never took place but he kept the documents and has stayed here ever since, using Sajid’s name.

Police raided Hussain’s home on September 16 this year and seized a birth certificate, an expired passport and current passport and driving licence.

They were alerted when Mrs Fazilat Begum, of Wrockwardine Wood, Telford, discovered her nephew Hussain was living the life of her UK-born son, Sajid, who had committed suicide in 1986.

Mr Mark Linkins, prosecuting the case, said Hussain had used the bogus passport several times to go abroad.

Mr Dean Easthope, for Hussain, said: “For the 14 years he has been here, he has been law abiding. 

“He lived with his brother and has worked in various employment, in an Indian restaurant, fruit picking and in factories.

“He does understand what he’s done is wrong and he does understand he’s been here illegally.”

Mrs Begum, from Wrockwardine Wood, was in court to see Hussain being sentenced. 

In an exclusive interview she told the Shropshire Star she would never get over a member of her own family using her dead son’s identity.

She was supported by her friend, Khan Mohammad Baloch, and Tom Biggins, Conservative parliamentary spokesman for Telford, who helped her get the case to court.

Mr Biggins said: “She contacted me and I was pleased to be able to help. Nobody else seemed to be listening to her.”

Detectives who investigated the case today welcomed the sentence.

By Rachael Lowe and Kirsty Marston