The United Kingdom National Health Service Counter Fraud Authority has secured the conviction of Nigerian doctor Richard Akinrolabu, who has been sentenced to three years in prison for defrauding the NHS of two hundred and sixty eight thousand pounds through false representation.

In a statement published today, the authority explained that Akinrolabu, a trust grade specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Princess Royal University Hospital, falsely claimed he was unfit for night shifts and on call duties from 2018 to 2021 due to illness. During the same period, he took up similar shifts at other hospitals.

According to investigators, from October 2018 to December 2021, Akinrolabu worked night and on call shifts at three additional NHS trusts while he was on sick leave or reduced duties from Kings College Hospital. As a result, Kings College Hospital had to employ locum doctors to cover the shifts he said he could not work.

The case came to light in November 2021 when the hospital received information that he had been working night shifts at Basildon Hospital. A local counter fraud team confirmed he had taken several on call shifts without authorisation, prompting a full investigation by the National Health Service Counter Fraud Authority. Akinrolabu declined to comment when invited for an interview in 2022.

He was charged with four counts of fraud by false representation at Woolwich Crown Court. Evidence presented during the trial showed that he never sought or received permission for secondary employment, and timesheets from other trusts confirmed he worked night and on call shifts despite claiming he was unable to do so.

Akinrolabu, aged sixty one and residing in Orpington in Kent, pleaded guilty to all charges on the third of September twenty twenty five and was sentenced on the fourth of November twenty twenty five. During sentencing, Judge David Miller stated that he had lied to occupational health staff, his colleagues and his employer, adding that the public does not expect doctors to lie for personal gain.

Ben Harrison, Head of Operations at the National Health Service Counter Fraud Authority, said the case showed a deliberate abuse of trust by a healthcare professional. He added that by misrepresenting his availability and taking on additional paid shifts, Akinrolabu defrauded the NHS of funds intended for patient care and that the authority remains committed to pursuing individuals who exploit the health service.