Punish me and release my daughter, says guilty father
Accused father and daughter Leonel and Leonela Calderon. (BVI News photo)
“Pass all the sentence on me,” Leonel Calderon told the court while trying to absolve his 18-year-old daughter, Leonela, from serving any further time in prison.
The father-daughter duo was caught trying to enter the territory with fake BVI visas this month.
Both pleaded guilty to uttering forged documents when they appeared before Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards on Friday.
But, after answering to the charge, the now-convicted father asked the court to punish him and deport his daughter to their homeland in the Dominican Republic.
He claimed that his daughter was still in high school and has ‘heart problems’.
“I apologize to the territory and to the court. We have families. We are human – we committed an error,” the 35-year-old father said as his daughter wept in court.
The offenders were subsequently remanded until their sentencing hearing on March 23.
What happened
The offenders reportedly arrived at the Terrence B Lettsome International Airport on March 1.
Upon arrival, Immigration officers discovered that the visa stamps in their travel documents appeared suspicious.
Immigration officers subsequently apprehended the father-daughter duo for questioning.
The court heard that during the Immigration interview, the father claimed his passport had been stamped with a BVI visa when he collected the travel document from the British Consulate in his homeland last October.
He told local law enforcers that he also collected one for his daughter, Leonela.
Visa numbers already assigned
But, BVI authorities contacted the said British Consulate and were told that no visas were issued to either accused persons.
Further checks reportedly revealed that the BVI visa numbers in both the father and his daughter’s passport had already been assigned to other persons.
The court heard that when the British Consulate in the Dominican Republic received a copy of the visas in question, they said the stamp, font, and seal used in the fake visa were visibly different from their own.
The father and daughter were subsequently charged.
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Ah well
Noble mehson but why u do her dat in the first place? Shame on you
Slap them with time serve, no re entry and deport both of them for we dont have the funds and space to be taking care of them. Cause we need to bring back our prisioners from St. Lucia.
I agree. If they have room to be taking in new people they can bring our ppl back home
but what consulate bvi I call if in santo domingo more than 4 years ago they removed the British consulate.?
So what do you think are these? Fakes??
***British Embassy in Santo Domingo,
Ave 27 de Febrero No 233, Edificio Corominas***
***British Honorary Consulate in Puerto Plata,
Calle Beller No.51***
***British Honorary Consulate in Punta Cana,
Hotel Occidental Grand Punta Cana
Avenida España, Bávaro***
It have British consulates, not BVI
35 with an 18 year old daughter..boy you nuh easy.
@Hmm. It just means he was 17 years old when she was born…
The father knew he was wrong. Guess he thought customs was to stupid to notice what was going on.
Is she his daughter .
Magistrate Request a paternity test to prove. Lies??
I apologize to the territory and to the court. We have families. We are human – we committed an error,”
Ok. He knew this before getting fake documents? I would imagine. He’s a threat to this territory.
Lol get off your high horse. The real threat to the territory is the criminals that are being protected by family members and cops who can keep their mouth shut. They are the one responsible for the death of a little girl as I recall.
See the bigger scheme of things because even when U see and know stuff you keep your darn mouth up ur butt.
You do not understand the concept of threat to country do you. Seize the time and expand your horizons and knowledge.
well said
Was she going to be a honey trap?
Here goes a man who accept in doing wrong. I believe the court should have mercy on the daughter, its shameful but there must be some sympathy for the young lady. He made a just call in releasing hid daughter and it touch my heart.
Hmmm this is the second picture I see where a female is accused with a crime and she is not in handcuffs. Only the men they handcuff? what’s up with that?
Have mercy. Just deport them back home. The jail has in enough people. We don’t need two extra mouths to feed.
More in the morta than the pessle. …