By Natasha Brewer • Published: 16 May 2021 • 15:22
Doctor confesses to faking PCR Covid-19 to fly abroad. Imge: Twitter
Doctor confesses to faking PCR Covid-19 to fly abroad.
A doctor was caught trying to fly out of the UK with a forged Covid-19 test certificate, according to a court hearing today.
On April 2, Sohyla Mohamed, 36, was boarding a flight from Heathrow to Cairo when she was stopped by officials who were suspicious of her virus-free paperwork.
Travelers must take a PCR exam and have a certificate certifying they are not carrying Covid-19 before being able to board, according to government regulations.
Mohamed, who was planning to fly with her two children, says she took a lateral flow test and realized she wasn’t infected, so she asked a friend to create a fake PCR certificate to get through airport security.
She told Wimbledon magistrates court today: “I wanted to be sure I was free from Covid, that was what was in my mind. I’m really sorry.”
Mohamed was sentenced to six weeks in jail, suspended for a year, and ordered to perform 60 hours of community service by Magistrate Susan Keisler.
“She admitted presenting a false certificate at Heathrow airport which showed she had a negative PCR test”, she said.
“She was with her two children, set to board a flight to Egypt. She has indicated she is a doctor and needed to return to Egypt to renew her annual leave as a matter of urgency.
“Ms Mohamed said she had taken a lateral flow test and was satisfied she didn’t have Covid, but the Covid rules effective today and on April 2, 2021 require that in order to travel abroad one must obtain a PCR test. A lateral flow test is not sufficient or acceptable to fly abroad.
“She knew what she was doing, she knew a PCR test was required as she found a friend to make a false document for her.”
The judge went on to say: “She could have put many people at risk.”
Asked about the nature of her medical qualifications, Mohamed said she was a “doctor of eyes”.
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