A Nigerian man, Lucius Njoku, has been handed a suspended jail sentence and ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid community service after he admitted to using a woman’s identity to work shifts at a hospital in the United Kingdom.
Njoku, 33, of Oliver Lane, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation when he appeared before Chester Magistrates’ Court on September 19, 2025.
According to the prosecution, between February 16 and April 25, 2024, Njoku carried out shifts at the Countess of Chester Hospital, including in the Accident and Emergency department, using the identity of Joyce George, a female colleague and co-accused who was employed through an agency.
Prosecutor Lisa McGuire told the court that George had since returned to Nigeria, and a warrant had been issued for her arrest. She explained that messages recovered from both defendants’ phones revealed how they coordinated their work schedules, though both declined to be interviewed by investigators.
The court heard that there were no complaints about Njoku’s performance and no patients were harmed during the period. However, the court described his actions as a grave breach of trust.
District Judge John McGarva said: “You deceived your way into a job that required safeguarding checks. While no one was harmed, this undermines the DBS system and is treated as maximum harm. There is an argument for immediate custody, but you have strong mitigation.”
Njoku’s lawyer, Steve Alis, told the court that his client had come to the UK as a student and fell into financial hardship, which led to the fraudulent arrangement with George.
“He hasn’t tried to downplay his role,” Alis said. “He had the relevant qualifications but went about it the wrong way. This was a joint enterprise.”
Alis also faulted the hospital for failing to enforce proper identification procedures despite Njoku’s qualifications for the position.
In his ruling, Judge McGarva sentenced Njoku to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, meaning he will not serve time unless he commits another offence within that period.
He was also ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work, pay a £154 victim surcharge, and £85 in court costs.
