A Nigerian man, Lucius Njoku, has stunned British authorities after he successfully bypassed one of the United Kingdom’s strictest hospital vetting systems to take shifts under a woman’s identity at a medical facility.
For more than two months, the 33-year-old worked as a healthcare assistant at the Countess of Chester Hospital, posing as a woman identified as Joyce George, who had legitimately secured employment through an agency.
Njoku’s deception went unnoticed until a patient casually remarked that “Joyce” was, in fact, a man.
Investigations later revealed that George, who received official shift information from the hospital, was in close contact with Njoku, who physically showed up for the shifts using her name.
By the time authorities pieced the scheme together, George had fled the UK for Nigeria, while Njoku was arrested at her address in Ellesmere Port.
Prosecutors told the Chester Magistrates’ Court that Njoku’s actions undermined the UK’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) safeguarding system, though no case of malpractice or harm was recorded during his time at the hospital.
When questioned, Njoku admitted to the fraud, claiming he acted out of financial hardship and only wanted to “help out” with the shifts.
His lawyer argued that the hospital’s system failed to detect a man working under a woman’s name, describing the oversight as “shocking.”
Presiding Judge John McGarva described the incident as a serious breach of trust but stopped short of handing down a custodial sentence.
“You deceived your way into a job that required safeguarding checks, and that undermines public trust,” the judge said. “You are fortunate no harm resulted; otherwise, you would be in custody today.”
Njoku was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.
The convict, who now works at Vauxhalls and depends on his wife for support, left the court a free man — but with a criminal record that has drawn widespread attention across Cheshire.
