A corrupt civil servant was jailed for two years yesterday for signing seven passport applications he knew to be fraudulent.

Charles Myton, countersigned the passports between June and October 2003, falsely saying he had known the seven people as friends for more than three years.

The 28-year-old from Siward Road, Tooting who worked for Colliers Wood JobCentre was arrested on June 28 last year.

Ten-year passports were issued to the seven men - named by police as Walters, Driscoll, Bishop, Woolley, Thompson, Taylor and Hales.

So far only one has been caught. Walters was really Jamaican national Philbert Williams who was picked up by American immigration trying to enter New York on the fraudulent passport.

Fingerprint checks showed his real identity and he was deported to Jamaica.

Myton's sentencing at Croydon Crown Court follows the imprisonment of another civil servant Valentina Costley.

The 43-year-old from Deptford was jailed for 26 months for similar offences but unrelated offences.

Detective Chief Inspector John Kielty, head of the Met's Operation Maxim, said: "As both this case, and that of Valentina Costley have shown, there are far reaching consequences to unlawfully signing passport applications.

"No one should be left in any doubt, that countersigning one is a serious responsibility and unless you have genuinely known the person applying for the passport for at least three years, you could be liable to a prison sentence if this leads to a fraudulently obtained passport."

"In both cases of Charles Myton and Valentina Costley, no regard was given to the criminal background of those being issued with a passport yet they signed the fraudulent application to help this person live anonymously and illegally in the UK or USA."

Anyone with information as to the identity or whereabouts of the passport holders should contact Operation Maxim on 0208 785 8256 or Operationmaxim@met.pnn.police.uk.