Ex Barrymore lawyer facing immigration charges

British entertainer Michael Barrymore, who Richard Martin helped to gain residency. Photo / Herald on Sunday

A former immigration lawyer who helped entertainer Michael Barrymore to obtain residency in New Zealand is facing nearly 100 counts of immigration-related charges.

Richard James Martin, 46, entered no plea to the charges when he appeared in the Waitakere District Court yesterday, his second appearance since December 20.

For an indictable offence, the hearing goes through as if a not guilty plea has been entered unless the defendant pleads guilty. The charges relate mainly to falsifying documents in visa applications made to Immigration New Zealand by his firm, Richard Martin Immigration Ltd of North Shore.

Martin faces 34 Crimes Act charges for forgery and 34 Immigration Act charges of providing false and misleading information to an immigration officer.

He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years' jail for each Crimes Act charge, and a maximum of seven years' jail and/or a fine of $100,000.

Martin also faces 23 charges laid by the Immigration Advisers Authority, and will be appearing for trial at the Auckland District Court in September.

These include 11 charges of asking for, or receiving fees for, immigration advice and nine of providing immigration advice when neither licensed nor exempt.

Two charges relate to forgery and one charge of holding out as an immigration adviser.

The alleged offences took place between May 2009 and 2010, some of them under the company name of Richard Martin Immigration.

A spokeswoman for the authority said Martin had never been licensed as an immigration adviser. As a lawyer, Martin would have been exempt from being licensed, but the New Zealand Law Society said he was struck off as a lawyer last July. It would not give details on why he was struck off.

Barrymore was one of Martin's clients at his former law firm. He helped the British entertainer get residency under the partnership category in 2004, based on his relationship with Shaun Davis.

Martin has been remanded on bail to appear in the Waitakere District Court on February 17 for a post-committal conference.

CHARGES

* 34 Crimes Act charges of forgery.

* 34 Immigration Act charges of providing false and misleading information.

* 11 charges for asking/receiving fees when unlicensed.

* 9 charges for giving unlicensed immigration advice.

* 3 other immigration-related charges.