An instructor who nearly shut down Birmingham Airport after forging 85 training documents has been spared jail.
Shoaib Iqbal, 40, told investigators he had fallen behind on paperwork when in reality he had not conducted essential refresher training for dozens of staff.
He attempted to cover up the mess by faking the certificates for 38 employees before he was found out.
The breach could have had caused ‘catastrophic consequences’ for airport security and resulted in ‘the whole operation being shut down’, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
Iqbal, from Glenpark Road, Saltley, who has since resigned from his job, admitted an offence of making a false instrument with intent it be accepted as genuine.
On Friday he was sentenced to two years suspended for the same period of time.
His employer, sub-contractor Mitie, is responsible for security at Birmingham Airport, including guarding and controlling access to the airfield.
Alison Slater, prosecuting for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), said security was ‘highly regulated’ with staff requiring recurrent training every 13 months.
She added they had to pass enhanced background checks, complete examinations and have relevant operational experience.
Training modules included ‘threats to aviation’, patrolling the site, searching people and baggage as well as identifying prohibited items, the court was told.
Iqbal was a certified training instructor hired by Mitie.
In December 2022 the CAA received a whistleblowing report claiming staff had not received their refresher training.
The airport was informed and when audits were carried out the following month they revealed incomplete records.
When Iqbal was initially questioned over it he claimed he had simply been ‘lazy in admin’ and not filed the paperwork, pointing to a bundle of documents on his desk.
But a few days later he told a manager at Mitie the lack of paperwork was caused by a printing delay, contradicting his previous account.
This prompted concerns from a security compliance officer investigating the issue.
A subsequent audit then exposed discrepancies in handwriting on the documents.
This time Iqbal was unable to provide an explanation and seemed ‘panicked’, Ms Slater said.
Two Mitie workers were shown the records and confirmed it was not their handwriting.
They also stated they did not remember attending the training course.
The compliance officer became ‘very concerned’ and stated ‘this could have catastrophic consequences’, Ms Slater said.
They also declared that the airport could not ‘safely function and the whole operation could be shut down’, the prosecutor added.
On February 6, 2023 Iqbal resigned after being told by the CAA he was under criminal investigation.
He had forged 85 documents in relation to 38 Mitie staff, all of whom worked guarding the airfield while eight of them were supervisors.
Ms Slater claimed the main victim in the case was the ‘integrity of the system’,
She said: ‘There doesn’t appear to be a motive for personal gain, it was more about covering up ineptitude.
‘There was little or no obvious planning. No sophisticated planning.’
Iqbal had never previously committed a crime. Ben Brown, defending him, explained he simply became ‘overloaded’ with work because he also had to train staff at airports in London, Belfast and Cardiff.
He said: ‘He fell behind in work and couldn’t keep up. He dug a very deep hole and kept digging to cover his tracks.
‘In reality there is a very clear and identifiable problem in Mr Iqbal’s consequential thinking. He didn’t appreciate the significance of his actions.’
The barrister added the married father-of-one had shown ‘significant remorse’ and now worked supporting homeless people.
Iqbal was ordered to carry out ten days of rehabilitation activity and 200 hours of unpaid work as well as pay £750 in court costs.
Recorder Kevin Hegarty KC, passing sentence, said: ‘Fortunately no specific harm came about or can be identified.
‘This was however an abuse of your position of trust to access the files and modify documents to make it look as though you had done your job.’
