Unruly tourist James Nolan fled NZ on wrong passport

A member of the unruly group of tourists who caused havoc in New Zealand should never have been able to leave the country.

New Zealand Customs Minister Mr Kris Faafoi says a member of the ‘unruly tourist’ family should never have been able to leave the country — using someone else’s passport — while facing criminal charges.

Mr Faafoi conceded today that it was a case of “human error which shouldn’t have happened”.

Customs is now reviewing its processes and Mr Faafoi said had been reassured it was an exceptionally rare occurrence.

“While it isn’t acceptable it is very rare,” a spokeswoman for Mr Faafoi said.

Customs officials are reviewing processes after a man wanted in relation to an Auckland roofing scam slipped through Customs using someone else’s passport.

James Anthony Nolan, 26, has a warrant out for his arrest after failing to appear in court over the past few weeks.

The unruly tourists caused carnage in New Zealand earlier this year.

He faces allegations of fraud, assault with a weapon and reckless driving.

Mr Nolan is linked to the British family widely dubbed as the “unruly tourists” who caused havoc around New Zealand over the holidays.

Late last week, police said their investigations into his whereabouts had led them to believe he had fled New Zealand.

It has since been revealed a mistake was made by a Customs staff member that led to Mr Nolan slipping through at the Auckland International Airport.

In a statement released last night, Customs said they had robust procedures and systems in place to protect our borders, but acknowledged that Mr Nolan had managed to get through on false pretences.

“James Nolan deliberately circumvented border controls by using a valid passport that was not his own.

James Nolan was able to flee NZ using someone else's passport.

“He used an eGate, which uses biometric data to match and confirm the identity of a passenger. The eGate identified further checks were needed on the passport.

“The image was automatically sent to a Customs officer, who incorrectly identified Nolan as the passport owner.

“Unfortunately, that was a case of human error, which shouldn’t have occurred.”

Customs officials have since launched a review into its processes that led to the incident and said they were taking the breach seriously.

“Staff are being reminded of the importance of visual checks and validating the identity of all travellers.’’

This article originally appeared on the New Zealand Herald and has been republished with permission.