A man who brazenly stole a qualified nurse's identity to secure work in care homes across northern England has been sentenced to more than three years in prison.
The Elaborate Fraud Uncovered
Ashton Guramatunhu, 46, from Dudley, registered with a nursing agency in Warrington using the personal details of a genuine nurse. This deception allowed him to gain employment at six different nursing homes in the North East of England.
His fraudulent scheme operated between 1 January 2015 and 5 April 2019. During this period, he earned an estimated £172,920 from roles he was wholly unqualified and unsuitable to perform.
How the Deception Unravelled
The case came to light in January 2019 when the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) contacted the real nurse. They were inquiring about her fitness to practise at a care home where, unbeknownst to her, Guramatunhu was using her identity. The legitimate nurse had never worked at that home, triggering the alarm.
The investigation was subsequently passed to Cheshire Police in 2020 after it was confirmed Guramatunhu was registered with the agency in Warrington. He later pleaded guilty to a single count of fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing.
Sentencing and Police Statement
At Liverpool Crown Court, Guramatunhu was sentenced to 40 months in prison. Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Naomi Sargent, who led the investigation, issued a stark warning.
"Guramatunhu should never have been working as a nurse," DC Sargent stated. "While he had been to university, his previous convictions meant that he was not suitable to work in the care sector. He put the lives of innocent patients at risk, purely for his own financial gain."
She added that she had "no doubt he would have continued his offending had he not been arrested" and hoped the sentence would act as a deterrent to others. DC Sargent also thanked officers from Cleveland, Northumbria, and Durham Police, along with the Economic Crime Unit, for their roles in securing justice.
The case highlights critical vulnerabilities in pre-employment checks within the care sector and the severe consequences for those who exploit them.
