UK Court Jails Nigerian Man for Posing as Female Nurse to Work in NHS Hospital

A UK court has handed a suspended prison sentence to a 33-year-old Nigerian man, Lucius Njoku, after he was found guilty of impersonating a female nurse to work at a National Health Service (NHS) hospital in Cheshire.

Njoku reportedly used the identity of his female friend, Joyce George, to secure shifts as a healthcare assistant at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department between February and April 2024.

According to court documents, Njoku wore George’s NHS name badge bearing her photograph and managed to work undetected for several weeks until a patient questioned his identity. A review of CCTV footage later confirmed his involvement in multiple shifts under George’s name.

Further investigation revealed that George, also a Nigerian national and a registered agency nurse, had knowingly allowed Njoku to take her place at work. Police later arrested both suspects after finding Njoku at George’s residence, along with evidence of messages between them coordinating shift schedules.

Appearing before Chester Magistrates’ Court, Njoku pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation. The court sentenced him to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to complete 80 hours of unpaid community service. He was also directed to pay £239 in costs and surcharge.

The court heard that Njoku lived separately from his wife, who also works with the NHS. Authorities have yet to clarify how he obtained an official NHS uniform to carry out the deception.

The incident has sparked renewed concerns about background checks and identity verification among agency health workers in the UK’s overstretched healthcare system.