Sentencing — dishonestly using a document — forgery — perjury — using a forged document — altering a document with intention to deceive — using an altered document with intent to deceive — false CV. The defendant was for sentence on 14 charges. The charges broadly related to the defendant's forgery and misuse of documents to convince others that he was a qualified doctor. He had in fact never completed a medical qualification. In spite of being unqualified and never registered to practice medicine, he was able to use falsified documents to gain employment and also to get a discharge without conviction on a dangerous driving charge. In his most-recent employment he had examined over 80 patients and conducted examinations and prescribed medicines. He was finally discovered when a fellow-student from the defendant's earliest days of study notified the Medical Council. The Court considered the offending to be of high gravity. It was aggravated by damaging the integrity of both the medical system and the justice system of New Zealand. Also the defendant had received some $135,000 in salary that he was not entitled to, and had endangered the health of the patients who he had examined. The offending was highly premeditated and involved a gross abuse of trust. The start point for sentence was six years' imprisonment. In mitigation the defendant had pleaded guilty, expressed some remorse, had attended restorative justice and had no prior convictions. The final sentence was three years seven months' imprisonment. Judgment Date: 27 April 2023