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A nurse worked two full-time jobs at NHS hospitals more than 150 miles apart without her bosses knowing her double life.
Athene Baiete-Coker, 32, was nursing at University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff when she landed a similar job at Guy's and St Thomas in London.
She did both jobs at the same time for a whole year, travelling the 300-mile round-trip several times a week.
A disciplinary hearing was told that when it became too much to handle, Ms Baiete-Coker took sick leave from one hospital to work at the other. Her two jobs came to light after a tip-off to NHS internal fraud investigators.
Ms Baiete-Coker, who came to the UK from Sierra Leone at the age of 14, pleaded guilty to false accounting, obtaining money by deception and falsifying documents.
Cardiff magistrates sentenced her to four months' jail, suspended for 12 months, and 250 hours' unpaid work.
A conduct and competence committee of the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard yesterday that Ms Baiete-Coker was torn between London and Cardiff. Her fiancé lived in London but her mother, who was ill with a brain tumour, lived in the Welsh capital.
Ms Baiete-Coker told the hearing: "In my culture, the eldest automatically becomes the main provider or sole provider. Because my mum was a single parent it was left to me.
"I didn't gain anything. The money went on the travelling, not living a lavish lifestyle. I'd like to apologise for the embarrassment and the dishonesty. I'm very remorseful for my actions."
Panel chairman Jillian Alderwick asked Ms Baiete-Coker if she ever realised what she was doing would get her in trouble. She replied: "I know what I did was wrong, but I was so much under pressure, stressed out."
The panel found Ms Baiete-Coker's fitness to practice was impaired. She was suspended for a year. Ms Alderwick said: "These offences show premeditation. We accept she was naive and foolish rather than rotten to the core. There was no evidence of patient harm although there was the potential."
Reader views (7)
Will she now be deported?
- Cuddly Duddly, Cuffley, UK, 09/07/2009 11:40
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Have all missed the point. She was taking 2 terms of employment at the same time and putting patients lives at risk. The term of fulltime employment is fixed so that staff can work to full capacity then rest to repeat ad finitum.
- William, Hay~Heath UK, 09/07/2009 02:03
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There's always one law for those above and another for the surbordinates. MPs'expenses have done all but crippled this country HM Treasury yet it's just a mere slap on the wrist...Have the patients complained about her performance? She should pay back the money as I believe she genuily was helping the people around her, however I am not condoling her action.One should have a heart of understanding.
- Jean-Christian, London, 09/07/2009 01:52
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Totally agree with fred.....our own "leaders" tear the ass out of the system..conning us with their expenses and dodgy paid directorships,really, how can there be one law for them and one for us? This woman should have been given a ticking off...and maybe a medal for what shes been through.
- John, london, 08/07/2009 17:48
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What's so wrong? We have a House of Conmen who do this all the time yet they find it easy to justify, as of course they make their own rules.
- Fred, Horsham, 08/07/2009 14:27
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Something about people coming from abroad and taking British jobs, or two in this case ????
- Jerry, London, 08/07/2009 14:05
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"In my culture, .."
Your culture does not ascend the Laws of this land. A message this Labour government have spectacularly failed to send out.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 08/07/2009 14:01
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