A woman from Cameroon fell to her knees and wept outside a courtroom at Cork District Court when she was cleared of having a false passport.

Diarmuid Kelleher, solicitor, said Florence Mgbemena did not know the passport in her possession was false and that the offence stipulated not just that she had a false passport but that she knew or believed it was a forgery.

Mr Kelleher said the accused was living at the asylum centre at Kinsale Road, Cork, and in receipt of €19.10 per week, and was in effect in limbo.

She had one document from one arm of the Government telling her she was legitimately here until May 2015 and another document telling her she was effectively trespassing at the asylum centre and should not be there.

She was also told that she should make every effort to get a Cameroon passport but was prevented from travelling to the nearest Cameroon embassy, which is in London.

Ms Mgbemena said she contacted her brother in Cameroon and he said he would get her a passport in the city where he lived and she sent him her photograph and he posted her the passport.

Det Garda Mairead Moriarty testified yesterday this passport presented to the garda immigration office was a forgery. Det Garda John Leonard said it was a Cameroon passport with a biographical page from another passport altered and added to it.

Judge Olann Kelleher said: “What amazes me more than anything is that you can send a picture and hey presto you get a passport, that is bizarre.”

The judge said he had to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that she had the passport knowing it was forged. He said she was entitled to the benefit of the doubt and on that basis he was dismissing the case against her.