Debt-ridden doctor jailed for 28 months

Sep 22 2007

A “TRAGIC” debt-ridden doctor who tried to solve his problems with a £1m mortgage fraud was jailed for 27 months yesterday.

Newly-qualified Abid Haider was struggling with a nervous breakdown, unemployment and unplanned fatherhood when he discovered a website offering false identities.

Having scraped together £16,000 for false driving licences, utility bills, and other documents, he set about applying for a string of loans for properties across Britain.

All but one of the lenders he approached became suspicious and refused his applications.

Unfortunately for him, even the £232,000 that was approved was never paid after police involved in a separate investigation discovered what he was up to, London’s Southwark Crown Court heard.

Haider, 27, of Sandfield Road, Croydon, pleaded guilty to seven offences of possessing false identity documents between September, 2005, and November the following year, three of false accounting and three of deception.

Passing sentence, Judge Kenneth Machin, QC, told the father of two young children: “It is a tragedy to see a man of your clear ability and intelligence standing in the dock admitting dishonesty.

“You qualified as a doctor and would have been a very useful member of society.”

The judge said he would have liked to follow one of the non-custodial options recommended in a pre- sentence report.

However, the seriousness of his crimes meant immediate imprisonment was inevitable.

The court heard Haider qualified in 2004 and began work as a house officer at London’s Royal Free Hospital “working very long hours” with a “very long commute” at either end of his shifts.

“During that period he became newly married,” explained Peter Lowndes, defending.

“As problems developed an unplanned child arrived . . . and his mother fell ill.

“These stressful events, combined with the problems of the commute and the pressure of his job led him to suffering something of a breakdown at work during the middle of 2005.”

The barrister said that despite counselling he ended up having to leave his job shortly afterwards.

As the months passed and his unemployment continued, so his debts spiralled out of control.

Mr Lowndes added “desperation, shortage of money plus an element of escapism in a man who clearly was not in good mental health, and a desire to get away from what he perceived to be failings in his life” eventually led him to contemplate a new career in crime.

The court heard he dreamed up his dishonest get-rich-quick scheme after stumbling across the unnamed website and obtaining “very professionally prepared” bogus identity documents.

Mortgage applications for properties in south-east London, Newcastle and Warrington followed.

“That sets the context why this man of good character ends up committing these offences,” counsel added.