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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
PA & Paul Britton

The elderly 'golden ticket' passport scammers who allowed violent criminals to evade justice

Members of a gang who supplied 'golden ticket' falsified passports to fugitive criminals - including murderers and drug dealers - have been jailed.

Anthony Beard, 61, paid vulnerable people for their expired passports so he could apply for renewals using their names but criminals' photos. Christopher Zietek, 67, who was formerly known as Christopher McCormack and acted as a broker, has also been brought to justice and jailed.

Undercover surveillance footage released by the National Crime Agency after a long-running investigation over years shows Beard inspecting a passport at a south London cafe and at a photography shop.

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