Zimbabwean who faked being a nurse for 4 years, earning nearly £200K is jailed
LIVERPOOL – A Zimbabwean man who stole another person’s identity to pose as a registered nurse for over four years and earn nearly £200 000 through the fraudulent scheme has been sentenced to prison in the United Kingdom.
Ashton Guramatunhu, 46, of Middlepark Road in Dudley, was sentenced to 40 months at Liverpool Crown Court on December 2. He earlier pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation.
Prosecutors said that in late 2014, Guramatunhu registered with a nursing agency in Warrington using the identity of a legitimate nurse to secure work.
Between Jan. 1, 2015, and April 5, 2019, he worked at six nursing homes in northeast England. Investigators estimate he earned £172,920.94 through the scheme.
The fraud began to unravel in January 2019 when the real nurse was contacted by the Nursing and Midwifery Council about an incident and concerns over his fitness to practice at a care home where he had never been employed.
The matter was reported to Cleveland Police, triggering an investigation. The case was transferred to Cheshire Police in 2020 after officers confirmed Guramatunhu had been registered with the Warrington agency.
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.”
