A male migrant is to avoid prison after posing as a female nurse and looking after seriously ill patients in A&E, Chester magistrates’ court heard. Nigerian national Lucius Njoku, 33, used the name of agency nurse Joyce George to work as a healthcare assistant at Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester. Despite wearing the woman’s NHS badge displaying her name and picture, he was not found out for months, the court was told.
Between February and April, Njoku wore the woman’s name badge while he washed and dressed patients, and carried out observations. A suspicious patient later confronted him, at which point he claimed: “My name is Joyce, but I am a man.” George, also a Nigerian national living in Ellesmere Port, had reportedly obtained a job at the hospital via an outside agency following a successful interview, inquiries revealed. She allowed Njoku to do her shifts, but it remains unclear where he got his uniform from.
Police raided George’s home, where they found Njoku – who lives at a different address also in Ellesmere Port. Officers took mobile phones from them both, which revealed texts about their shifts at the hospital.
Both declined to comment in police interviews.
Njoku admitted a charge of fraud by false representation at Chester Magistrates’ Court. He was slapped with a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, 80 hours of unpaid work, and £239 in costs and surcharge.
Njoku is listed as a “dependent” on his wife’s work visa after he came to Britain as a student, so it is not yet known whether he will be deported.
The defence said if he was allowed to remain in Britain, “he may come to attention of the Home Office if he offends again”.
George fled the country after being charged with fraud and is believed to be in Nigeria. An arrest warrant has been issued for her.
Lisa McGuire, prosecuting, said: “She permitted Njoku to do her shifts under her name. Fortunately, no harm was done and there were no complaints about Njoku’s work. But it is the access which is the serious concern.”
Njoku’s solicitor, Steven Alis, defending, said his client was a qualified nurse but “safeguarding checks had not come through” when he was working at the hospital.
He added: “He accepted the seriousness of the matter. Since then, he has obtained the appropriate authorisation but has chosen not to work in the care industry. Instead, he now has employment at Vauxhall through an agency.”
Sentencing on Thursday, District Judge Jack McGarva told Njoku: “You deceived your way into a job which requires safe guarding checks. That undermines the system. Although you were qualified and you did the work without complaint, that is not the point.”
