A Burger King manager who fled the Taliban in Afghanistan claimed he earned £69,000 a year to fraudulently re-mortgage his Watford home.

Wajatullah Ahmad, who has permanent leave to remain in this country, bought the home in Southsea Road, Watford, with his brother for £187,000, St Albans crown court heard.

In July 2007, at the height of the property boom, Ahmad approached Oak Financial Services in Watford for an increase on the £159,000 loan.

When filling in the form Ahmad, who was paid just £21,454 as the manager of Burger King in Brent Cross, stated he worked for a company called Caspian and earned a total of £69,000, said prosecutor Edward Lewis.

Ahmad, 25, also failed to reveal that he was renting out a room in the Southsea Road house.

When questioned by police he said there had been a misunderstanding.

He claimed that when he filled out the form he included his rental income and rental income from a property owned by his brother in North London.

Ahmad, now of Westland Road, Watford, pleaded guilty to fraud and receipt of criminal property.

He was of previous good character and had lived in the UK since he was 16.

Judge Stephen Gullick sentenced him to six months in jail suspended for 12 months.

He told him: "It is clear your re-mortgage application was inaccurate and the mortgage was obtained by deception, although it is clear the mortgage lender did not see fit to ring your employer. Had they done so, your real income would have been discovered."

Ahmad was not sent directly to prison because of his good character and because he had not defaulted on the mortgage.