Nigerian Student Receives Suspended Sentence for NHS Fraud Using Fake ID

A Nigerian student in the United Kingdom has been convicted and given a suspended jail term for fraudulently working within the National Health Service (NHS) using a false identity.

Oluwabunmu Adeleiyi, residing in Cardiff, was on a student visa when she secured work as a healthcare support worker at Neath Port Talbot Hospital and the Caswell Clinic in Bridgend. Cardiff Crown Court heard that Adeleiyi and two accomplices used identical fake identification documents to bill the NHS approximately £16,000 per month via various staffing agencies.

Adeleiyi pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation. She received a 10-month prison sentence for each count, to run concurrently and suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid community service.

The fraud was uncovered when a receptionist at the Caswell Clinic noticed a passport photograph had been stuck over the original image on an ID card Adeleiyi used to sign out after a night shift. After she refused to surrender her documentation, an internal investigation was launched by the Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB).

The investigation revealed staff had previously reported Adeleiyi's "bizarre" conduct, which included locking herself alone in ward rooms and securing corridor doors against protocol—actions that posed serious risks in emergencies. Despite having no formal training, she had accessed confidential patient records and made entries in observation logs. Health officials stated the potential risks "could have been catastrophic."

The court learned Adeleiyi had assumed the identity of a qualified healthcare worker who had left the UK for Nigeria using a fraudulent passport. Sentencing her, Judge Recorder Mark Powell KC stated she had put both patients and staff at risk.

Following the hearing, a health board fraud specialist confirmed the fake documents were supplied by an overseas organized crime group. He noted that while no patient harm was identified, such fraud against the NHS would be fully investigated and prosecuted.