Bolaji Ewenla obtained an SIA licence, copied it and added her own photograph, in order to work illegally.

SIA investigation officers were conducting compliance checks in Enfield McDonald’s in November 2023 when they discovered Ewenla displaying a cloned licence.

On 3 July 2024, Ewenla appeared before Bexley Magistrates’ Court where she pleaded guilty to the offences of engaging in licensable conduct without a valid SIA licence and knowingly using a false instrument, contrary to Section 3 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981.

The case was adjourned for sentencing on 31 July 2024, at which point Ewenla was sentenced to a 12-month community order which requires her to undertake 70 hours of unpaid work and 10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirements days.

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 surcharge imposed was £114.