NHS £268,000 Fraud: Nigerian Doctor Sent To Jail For Lies To Occupational Health
A 61 year old Nigerian doctor based in the UK, Richard Akinrolabu, has been sentenced to three years in prison after admitting to defrauding the NHS of over £268,000. He was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on November 4, 2025, after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation.
Akinrolabu, who worked as a specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynecology at the Princess Royal University Hospital, part of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, also took on night and on-call shifts at three other NHS trusts between 2018 and 2021.
During this time, he claimed to be unfit for similar duties at his main workplace, sometimes taking sick leave or reduced duties, which led the trust to employ locum doctors to fill his shifts.
The fraud was uncovered in 2021 when King’s College Hospital received information about his work at Basildon Hospital. Investigations conducted by the trust and the NHS Counter Fraud Authority revealed that he had also worked additional shifts at Princess Alexandra Hospital, East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, and Mid-South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
Akinrolabu was interviewed under caution in 2022 but chose to respond with no comment. After further evidence was collected, he was charged and eventually convicted.
During sentencing, Judge David Miller remarked, you lied to occupational health, to your colleagues, and your employer. The public doesn’t expect doctors to lie for personal gain. Ben Harrison, Head of Operations at the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, remarked that the case reflected a significant abuse of trust, noting that the diverted funds should have been used for patient care.
In 2006, Akinrolabu made headlines after being cleared of accusations related to an alleged offer to perform an illegal abortion. A General Medical Council panel dismissed the allegations due to inconsistencies, although he acknowledged having had an affair with the complainant.