[BITList] Forged Tickets

[M.j. Feltham]

Lowestoft man convicted of using forged seaman 
certificates 
A Lowestoft man has been given a suspended prison sentence 
after pleading guilty at the town's magistrates' court yesterday 
to using forged professional seaman certificates to secure 
employment on a North Sea ship. 
Benjamin Timothy Helmer, 21, secured employment in 
December 2012 on the 'Marineco Dignity', operating from 
Holland, by producing a forged able bodied seaman certificate 
and a fire fighting training certificate. 
However, it was recognised by the other crew that he lacked the 
necessary knowledge and skills expected of a professional 
seaman. 
Enquiries by the master of the vessel with the Maritime and 
Coastguard Agency confirmed that Helmer had not been issued 
with the certificates. He was dismissed from the ship after two 
weeks, as soon as the forgeries came to light. 
Helmer was subsequently arrested by Suffolk Police and 
admitted to using the forged documents to secure employment. 
His appearance at court resulted in him being sentenced to a 
month's imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. 
Jeremy Smart, Head of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency 
Enforcement Unit, said: "Unqualified individuals who try to pass 
themselves off as competent seamen put themselves and others 
at risk. 
"These qualifications exist to show that the holder is competent 
to do the job. Using forged documents in this way is not only 
unlawful – it is reckless and dangerous."