Djeumeni, Nadine

Nadine Djeumeni was convicted in November 2004 of possession of a false instrument with intent and attempting to obtain air services by deception. Ms Djeumeni received a sentence of eight months’ imprisonment and a recommendation for deportation.

The CCRC received an application for review of the conviction in December 2011.

Ms Djeumeni had been arrested at Heathrow Airport attempting to board a flight to Canada with a false passport.

The offences were committed by Ms Djeumeni, a Cameroon national, in circumstances relating to her quest for asylum. Ms Djeumeni had claimed asylum in the UK but had her application refused.

The CCRC considered that Section 31 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 provided Ms Djeumeni with a special statutory defence to the charges.

The defence applied to any person who had “come to the United Kingdom directly from a country where his life or freedom was threatened (within the meaning of the Refugee Convention)”.

Ms Djeumeni had pleaded guilty at Magistrates’ Court, being unaware that this special defence was available to her.

The CCRC concluded that it was an abuse of process to prosecute Ms Djeumeni on the charge of attempting to obtain services by deception.

Furthermore, the legal advice provided to Ms Djeumeni had been shown to have been erroneous and, as a result, there was a real possibility the Crown Court would find that in all the circumstances it should set aside Ms Djeumeni’s guilty plea and quash her convictions.

The CCRC referred the conviction in March 2012.

The Crown Court quashed the conviction in April 2012.