A ZIMBABWEAN woman who lied about her British immigration status to obtain a £26,000 National Health Service (NHS) bursary to train as a nurse has escaped with a wholly suspended 12-month jail term after admitting eight counts of fraud.
Fadzai Martha Zongoro, 31, of Arrow Place, Bletchley, will serve 200 hours community service after her prison sentence was suspended for two years at the Peterborough Crown Court.
Judge Peter Moloney QC indicated he would have given a custodial sentence were it not for the fact Zongoro was sole carer of her two young children.
The court heard Zongoro sustained a lifestyle secured by a string of forgeries.
Among other lies she told on her way to landing the bursary for study at the University of Bedfordshire, Zongoro:
- Supplied false Home Office documentation to indicate that she had indefinite leave to remain in the UK when she did not.
- Presented a forged Zimbabwe Ministry of Education General Certificate of Education which indicated that she had passed a number of GCSE 'O' Levels which she had not.
- Claimed dependent allowances for her children by providing copies of documents to support the false claim she was a UK citizen, including a forged UK birth certificate.
- Made false statements to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to obtain a provisional licence – which has since been revoked.
- Juggled two forged National Insurance number cards.
Through the elaborate deception, Zongoro gained an NHS-funded and commissioned place on the three year nursing diploma course valued at £9,933.58 plus an NHS Student Bursary worth £16,152.12, together totaling £26,085.70.
The court heard she was caught following a joint initiative between the UK Borders Agency and the NHS Counter Fraud Service.
Zongoro was arrested and her home address searched in June 2010, where various forged documents were recovered. She made full admissions when interviewed under caution at Milton Keynes Police Station.
Alan McGill, the Investigating Officer for the NHS Counter Fraud Service said: "An applicant who was genuinely entitled to this valuable education and bursary may have lost out as a result. This outcome is a deterrent to others considering the same crime.
"Any suspicion of fraud against the NHS that is reported to us is followed up. Wherever appropriate we will investigate, pressing for prosecution and the strongest sanctions against offenders.”