By Akinwande Idowu

A Nigerian man has been sentenced to 80 hours of unpaid work after admitting he used a female colleague’s identity to carry out shifts at a UK hospital.

Lucius Njoku, 33, of Oliver Lane, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation when he appeared at Chester Magistrates’ Court on September 19, 2025.

Between February 16 and April 25, 2024, Njoku worked shifts at the Countess of Chester Hospital, including in the A&E department, under the name of Joyce George, a 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.

Messages recovered from the pair’s phones mapped out the shifts they coordinated, though both had declined to give interviews.

No Complaints, But Serious Breach of Trust

Although there were no complaints about Njoku’s work and no patients were harmed, the court described the act as a serious abuse 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.”

Defence Highlights Circumstances

Njoku’s lawyer, Steve Alis, explained that Njoku came to the UK as a student and faced financial difficulties, which led to his agreement with George.

Alis also criticized the hospital’s lack of identification measures, pointing out that Njoku was qualified for the role.

“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.”

Sentence and Outcome

Njoku was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, meaning he will not go to jail unless he reoffends during this period.

He was also ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work, pay a £154 surcharge, and £85 in court costs.