A man with previous convictions who posed as a registered nurse after registering with an agency in Warrington and stealing the identity of another person, has been jailed.
Ashton Guramatunhu, who put lives at risk for financial gain, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday 2 December where he was sentenced to 40 months in prison.
The 46-year-old, of Middlepark Road, Dudley, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing.
The court heard how in late 2014, Guramatunhu registered with a nursing agency in Warrington using the identity of a genuine nurse in order to gain employment.
Between Friday 1 January 2015 and Friday 5 April 2019 he went on to work at six nursing homes in the northeast of England.
In total it is estimated that he Guramatunhu earned £172,920.94. through his fraudulent activity.
His downfall began in January 2019 when the real nurse was contacted by the Nursing and Midwifery Council regarding an incident and his fitness to practice at a care home he never worked at.
The incident was reported to Cleveland Police and an investigation was launched. The case was subsequently passed to Cheshire Police in 2020 after it was established that Guramatunhu was registered to an agency in Warrington.
Following the sentencing Detective Constable Naomi Sargent, who led the investigation said: “Guramatunhu should never have been working as a nurse. 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, and I have no doubt that he would have continued his offending had he not been arrested.
“The sentence handed to him by the court reflects the severity of his actions and I hope that it acts as a warning to others.
“I would like to take this as an opportunity to thank all of the officers who have been involved in the investigation, including colleagues at Cleveland, Northumbria and Durham Police, along with staff from our Economic Crime Unit who all played key roles in helping to bring Guramatunhu to justice.”
