AN ILLEGAL immigrant who settled in Gwent in a search of a “better life” has been jailed after he was caught with false identification documents.

Albanian national Domeniko Precaj, who lived in Newport, will be deported to his own country after his sentence, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Gareth James said UK immigration officers went to his Golden Mile View home after a false Greek driving licence sent in a package was intercepted by the Royal Mail.

During a search of his flat in the Rogerstone area of the city, he told Judge Michael Fitton QC how they had found further bogus documents.

These were a Lithuanian and a Greek identification card.

The 27-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing false identification documents.

The offences were committed on October 29 this year.

The court heard how Precaj had told the Probation Service that he had entered the UK illegally in

search of a “better life” more than three years ago.

Judge Fitton heard how the defendant had variously worked as a painter and decorator, scaffolder and

plasterer.

He was also told how Precaj had obtained some of the documents so that he could open a bank account in order that he could be paid his wages.

The defendant was in a relationship with a UK resident, "occasionally smokes cannabis" and was assessed as being at a low risk of reoffending by the Probation Service.

Sarah Waters, mitigating, said her client had never relied on state benefits and had moved to Newport eight or nine months ago after living in London.

The judge jailed Precaj for a total of 10 months and told him he had to pay a victim surcharge.