A woman using a fake licence to work as a security guard at a McDonald’s in north London has been convicted.
Bolaji Ewenla doctored a licence by adding her own picture in order to work illegally.
She pleaded guilty at Bexley Magistrates to forgery and was slapped with a 12-month community order.
Ewenla will be required to carry out 70 hours of unpaid work and 10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirements days.
Investigators from the he Security Industry Authority (SIA) were conducting compliance checks in Enfield McDonald’s in November 2023 when they discovered Ewenla displaying a cloned licence.
Security personnel are required to study to pass SIA test so they can legally work in the industry. They have to pay for the course and application.
Mark Chapman, a criminal investigations manager at the SIA, said: “Using a cloned licence is a serious offence that places the safety of the public at risk. The licensing regime is there to protect the public so that only suitably trained and vetted individuals are approved.
“Ms Ewenla flouted these rules, and it is right she has been sentenced and now has a conviction.
“This action was the result of SIA compliance checks in the area, which is just one of the ways we are continuing to combat the use of cloned licences and remind industry to conduct thorough due diligence checks on the licences of people they deploy.”
No costs were awarded as the defendant had no means to obtain benefits due to her immigration status and is now unemployed, the sentencing hearing on July 31 heard.
By law, security operatives working under contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence.
