A 24-year-old Polish woman has been given a suspended sentence after attempting to smuggle her Albanian boyfriend through Dublin Airport using a fake passport.
Aleksandra Suchodolksda, from Leeds, was arrested at Terminal 1 by the Garda National Immigration Bureau on November 27 while trying to help her partner pass through passport control.
The mother of two pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to an offence under the Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Act 2021 for assisting unlawful entry into the state.
Her partner subsequently claimed asylum in Ireland and walked free, leaving Suchodolksda to face the courts alone.
A 24-year-old Polish woman has received a suspended sentence after attempting to smuggle her Albanian boyfriend through Dublin Airport
PA
The couple had flown from Barcelona and were attempting to make a connecting flight at Dublin Airport when they were stopped.
At passport control, while Suchodolksda presented her valid Polish passport, her companion aroused suspicion when he produced fake Polish documentation.
When questioned by airport officials, the man revealed his true Albanian passport and immediately claimed asylum in Ireland.
Suchodolksda was arrested at the scene and was initially refused bail due to being considered a flight risk.
The court heard that Suchodolksda and her partner had previously met in England and maintained an on-off relationship.
After he returned to Albania in August, the pair stayed in contact.
In November, he travelled to Spain and asked Suchodolksda to meet him in Barcelona, which she believed was a birthday present.
She flew to Barcelona on November 26 and booked return flights to the UK via Dublin Airport for the following day.
The couple had flown from Barcelona and were attempting to make a connecting flight at Dublin Airport when they were stopped
Getty
The plan unravelled when they attempted to pass through passport control together using the fraudulent documentation.
While in custody, Suchodolksda was described as “extremely distraught” at being separated from her children.
Judge John Hughes noted the seriousness of the offence but acknowledged her guilty plea, age, and personal circumstances.
The court heard that her partner has since been processed for international protection and remains at liberty, having never been charged.
After signing a bond to be of good behaviour, Suchodolksda was released with a two-month suspended sentence.
She hugged her solicitor after the judge finalised her case, bringing an end to her time in custody which had began on November 27.
