Passport thief given good behaviour bond

A NSW man who stole his brother's passport to travel overseas has been given a good behaviour bond.

Ahmad Naizmand, 20, pleaded guilty in December to stealing the passport in an attempt to get to Europe last year, a month after he was denied a passport on security fears.

Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan described the matter as serious as she handed down the sentence and said there was a need for strong deterrence.

The court heard Naizmand was depressed after losing his job, and had wanted to go Greece for a holiday after failing to meet up with his uncle in Singapore.

He was later detained in Dubai and deported to Australia.

The NSW man was reportedly intercepted after the counter-terrorism laws came into force last August.

Noting that he had spent 13 weeks in custody and that he had the potential to turn his life around, Ms O'Sullivan nevertheless described his actions as "criminality of the highest order".

"The fact (is) that Mr Naizmand involved some premeditation and planning and that the reason he used his brother's passport to enable him to leave Australia is that his own passport had been cancelled," she said.

Citing religious grounds, Naizmand did not stand while Ms O'Sullivan handed down the sentence.