A man who was on bail on a murder charge and was caught attempting to travel to Mexico on a fake passport, was sentenced to nine months imprisonment at hard labour when the case was called up in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Charged with possession of a forged document and uttering a forged document is Kirk Roberts.

Allegations are that on July 24, Roberts was preparing to leave the island for Mexico and tendered a passport in the name of Denmark Dalton Duffus. It was, however, discovered that the passport was not genuine when it was checked by immigration officials who discovered discrepancies.

The accused allegedly told the officials that he was going to Mexico to visit a friend and also to buy goods, as he is a higgler. When he appeared in court, he told Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey: "A guh mi a guh buy some stuff Miss, I'm a higgler." RM Pusey, however, told him that he knew he was on a murder charge and could not travel and that is the reason why he used the fake passport.

He was sentenced to nine months in jail for the possession and six months for uttering the document. The sentences will run concurrently.