Fraudster who used wigs, disguises and false documents to complete UK citizenship tests for 13 people is jailed for over four years

Daily Mail​

20-05-2025

A fraudster who donned an array of wigs to sit UK citizenship tests for 13 different migrants has been jailed for six and a half years.
Josephine Maurice, 61, of Enfield, North London, posed as both men and women to complete the exam in a 'wholesale assault' on the immigration system.
Sentencing her, district judge Anthony Callaway said Maurice had given a 'clear advantage' to people who wanted British citizenship without following the rules.
'It is clear that the fraud was deliberate and sophisticated and involved the alteration of identity documents, travel documents, false wigs and other matters,' he told her.
'The geography was varied. You attended in person a variety of centres in London and elsewhere including Stratford, Luton, Hounslow, Reading, Oxford, Nottingham and Milton Keynes.'
The former bus driver had admitted 13 counts of fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud and two counts of possession of another person's identity documents at an earlier hearing.
Snaresbrook Crown Court heard she pretended to be 13 different people, both male and female, to undertake the Life in the UK test between June 1 2022 and August 14 2023.
The Home Office previously said she had used an 'array of wigs' and other disguises in order to pass herself off as the true applicants.
Completion of the Life in the UK test is a requirement for anyone seeking indefinite leave to remain or naturalisation as a British citizen.
It consists of 24 questions aimed at 'proving the applicant has sufficient knowledge of British values, history and society'.
Prosecutor Nana Owusuh said it was difficult for investigators to quantify the financial benefits of Maurice's 'well organised' scam or to 'calibrate any gains'.
Stephen Akinsanya, defending, told the court she was not the mastermind of the scam but accepted the offences could potentially affect national security 'if people are passing tests when they have no right to be here'.
'Clearly, this is someone who has found herself involved in something far more serious than she envisioned,' he said.
'She found herself trapped to people she owed a sum of money. There are some levels of coercion and intimidation. She was not motivated by personal gain.'
Of Maurice, he said: 'Prior to her arrest she was a bus driver with Arriva and looking after her 25-year-old son who was afflicted with schizophrenia.
'She foolishly agreed to help someone and this is where it has landed her – in custody and away from her son who is clearly vulnerable, that's what keeps her awake at night.
'She understands the implications of what she has done and for national security, and the court can treat such matters harshly.'
Provisional driving licences were found at her home after her arrest earlier this year.
The court heard Maurice had a previous fraud conviction dating back to August 2015 which involved her impersonating someone to take a driving theory test.
Maurice appeared via video link from HMP Bronzefield where she has been a 'model inmate', the court heard.
What kinds of questions does the Life in the UK Test ask?
A study last year found that only 42 per cent of Brits would be able to pass the Life In The UK Test.
Here is a sample version of the test in a slimmed-down format.
1) What was the last battle between Great Britain and France?
a) Trafalgar, b) Waterloo, c) Hastings, d) Agincourt
2) Which flower is associated with Wales?
a) Daffodil, b) Rose, c) Shamrock, d) Thistle
3) During the reign of Charles II, parts of London were destroyed. What was the cause of the destruction?
a) War, b) Flood, c) Fire, d) Earthquake
4) How often are General Elections usually held in the UK?
a) Every three years, b) Every four years, c) Every five years, d) Every 10 years
5) Scotland has its own banknotes, which are valid everywhere in the UK...
a) True, b) False
6) Great Britain refers only to England, Wales and Scotland...
a) True, b) False
7) Who was the tribal leader who fought the Romans?
a) Cleopatra, b) Claudia, c) Boudicca, d) St Augustine
8) Who was voted the greatest Briton of all time in 2002?
a) Isaac Newton, b) Winston Churchill, c) Alexander Fleming, d) Mo Farah
9) Which two houses form the UK Parliament? (choose two)
a) House of Lords, b) House of Members, c) House of Commons, d) House of Fraser
10) When did women get the right to vote at the same age as men?
a) 1918, b) 1928, c) 1938, d) 1948
11) Who is the head of the Church of England?
a) The Prime Minister, b) The Archbishop of Canterbury, c) The Pope, d) The Monarch
12) What sort of event is the Grand National?
a) Rugby match, b) Golf tournament, c) Horse race, d) Tennis tournament
13) When is Christmas Day?
a) December 24, b) December 25, c) December 26, d) December 27
14) What type of literature are the Canterbury Tales?
a) Poems, b) Novels, c) Jokes, d) Fables
15) Who supported King Charles I during the Civil War?
a) Roundheads, b) Suffragettes, c) Quakers, d) Cavaliers
Answers: 1b; 2a; 3c; 4c; 5a; 6a; 7c; 8b; 9a&c 10b; 11d; 12c; 13b; 14a; 15d