Dutch police arrest man claiming to be Boris Johnson in drink-driving incident

Driver's licence, which was set to expire in the year 3000, displayed name of former British prime minister

A Ukrainian driving licence featuring an image of Boris Johnson was discovered during a drink-driving incident in the Netherlands. AFP

A 35-year-old man was arrested in Groningen, Netherlands, on Sunday after he was caught drink-driving and holding a fraudulent licence naming him as Boris Johnson.

Officers were called to investigate an accident near the Emma Bridge in the northern city shortly after midnight.

They found an abandoned car that had crashed into a pole. Police later received information that the driver was standing on the bridge.

“The person could not identify himself and refused to undertake a breathalyser test,” said police spokesman Thijs Damstra.

Upon searching the man's car, police discovered a counterfeit Ukrainian driver's licence bearing the name “Boris Johnson”, complete with a photograph of the former British prime minister and his birth date.

The fraudulent document was “issued” in 2019 and listed as valid until the year 3000.

“Unfortunately for this person, we did not fall for his forgery,” the Groningen police said on their Instagram account.

Mr Damstra confirmed that the real Mr Johnson was not in the Netherlands at the time of the incident.

Dutch public broadcaster NOS shared a tweet from their former Russia correspondent, Kysia Hekster, who reported that fake driver's licences can be easily purchased in tourist shops in Ukraine.

The origin of the forged document found in this case remains unknown.

The man's name has not been released, but he is reportedly from the Netherlands. He was taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries sustained in the crash and is being held in custody pending charges of drink-driving and forgery.

The police are still investigating the incident. The man's motive for claiming to be Mr Johnson is unclear.

Counterfeit driver's licences are often used by criminals to commit identity theft or other crimes. The police are urging people to be aware of the dangers of counterfeit driver's licences and to only accept valid documents from trusted sources.