£1m mortgage fraud doctor jailed

A court heard that Abid Haider, 27, was struggling with a breakdown and unplanned fatherhood when he discovered a website offering false identities.

Haider, from Croydon, south London, paid £16,000 for false documents and applied for loans across Britain.

He pleaded guilty to seven counts of possessing false identity documents at Southwark Crown Court.

Long commute

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 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.

Spiralling debts

"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."

Despite counselling, he left his job and his debts spiralled out of control.

Having found a website which promised "very professionally prepared" bogus identity documents, he made mortgage applications for properties in south-east London, Newcastle and Warrington.

However, all but one of the lenders he approached became suspicious and refused his applications.

He also pleaded guilty to three counts of false accounting and three counts of deception.

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