A British man has been banned from going abroad – because of his name.
The 33-year-old changed his name from Kenny Kennard to Kenny ‘Fu-Kennard’ as a joke years ago but it appears to have backfired.
Now, after trying to renew his passport for a stag do in three weeks, he has been told by the U.K.’s Home Office that his name ‘may cause offence’ and they are refusing to make allowances.
After three failed attempts to contest the refusal, he says he feels like a prisoner in his own country.
Kenny first changed his name to ‘Coco Kenny’ when he was 16, but after he joined the Army aged 19 he said he was told to change it back because it was “immature”, according to The Mirror.
He successfully applied for a driver’s licence in 2016 with the name ‘Fu-Kennard’, so had no reason to suspect that it would be any different applying for a passport.
But the Home Office dismissed his application on three occasions in May, June and July this year, citing Section 2 on its longstanding policy on changing names.
The official guidelines list a series of “names that may cause outrage or offence” that could be classed as “unacceptable” and not fit for a passport.
They include “the use of swear words; sexually explicit references; inappropriate religious connotation; is vulgar, offensive, or libellous to an individual; makes use of a name of a person living or dead which may cause public concern”.
The guidance also states: “This applies to phonetic, as well as actual use of words comprising of part or the entire name.”
He was told if he wants to take the matter further, he needed to contact his local MP – which he did.
However, the office for Conservative MP Scott Mann agreed with the Home Office stating they were ‘within its remit to refuse your request for a passport under the name you have chosen’.
The matter will not be resolved until Kenny changes his name, which he believes is a restriction on his freedom.
