A Turkish Kurd father caught with a false ID card has been spared deportation so as to care for his young son.

Mehmet Arslan, a 36-year old father of three, currently residing at the Ħal Far tent village, landed on the wrong side of the law after being found in possession of a false French identity card and other forged immigration documents.

When he was today taken to court under arrest, a somewhat particular and tragic family scenario emerged.

Inspector Mario Haber explained how the arrested man had arrived in Malta with his wife and three children seeking refuge on the island.

When his wife suddenly fled to Germany, taking with her two of the couple’s young children, the man was left all alone to care for his eight-year old son.

After the father’s arrest, following the discovery of the forged personal documents, the little boy was taken under the wing of Appoġġ. However, the trauma of being separated from his father as well as an insurmountable language barrier, was creating real difficulties for the child.

“This is a particular case,” Inspector Haber pointed out, adding that otherwise the man would have been a sure candidate for deportation by immigration authorities.

Upon hearing the man plead guilty, magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech handed down a one-year jail term suspended for two years, sharply warning the accused that he would risk effective imprisonment if he were to err once more.

Lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar was legal aid counsel.