MONTEGO BAY, St James — A 69-year-old woman who falsely applied for a passport in her sister’s name nearly two decades ago was fined $150,000 when she appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

Carol Gould-Linton pleaded guilty to making a false declaration, a charge stemming from a 2006 incident at the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA). The court heard that in June of that year, she applied for and was issued a passport under the name Pauline Burton — her sister’s identity.

The deception went undetected for years until June this year when Gould-Linton attempted to renew her passport using her correct name. The discrepancy raised red flags at PICA and she was summoned to court.

In a stirring plea for mercy, her attorney Lambert Johnson portrayed a woman of deep conscience who, despite this singular lapse, had lived a life marked by integrity and quiet devotion.

“She has lived a life that could almost be regarded as perfect in the sight of the Lord, except for this one transgression,” Johnson told the court.

He revealed that the act had been committed during a deeply vulnerable time in Gould-Linton’s life, as she grappled with the emotional fallout of a marital separation. The decision to use her sister’s name, he said, was not her own. Family members, particularly a brother-in-law and another sister, believed she would have better job prospects in the United Kingdom if she used the identity of a sibling who was a legal resident there.

“She objected,” Johnson emphasised. “Immediately after obtaining the passport, her spirit — her connection with the Lord — would not allow her to go any further. She never once used the passport to travel.”

The defence attorney went on to reveal that the psychological toll of the situation began only this year when immigration authorities contacted Gould-Linton about the discrepancy.

“She is now suffering from severe headaches, insomnia, excessive racing of the heart and chest wall tightness,” he disclosed, adding that his client has been formally diagnosed with anxiety and mild depression.

Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton pressed for clarity on the motive behind the false declaration. Johnson reiterated that his client was residing in the United Kingdom at the time, and the passport was intended to help her navigate the UK job market more easily under her sister’s identity — though ultimately, the plan was never acted upon.

After weighing the facts, the judge acknowledged Gould-Linton’s early guilty plea, her advanced age, and her previously clean record. In the end, the court imposed a fine of $150,000 or, in default, a three-month custodial sentence.