A man has been sentenced to over three years in prison for a brazen fraud that saw him work as a nurse in multiple care homes using a stolen identity.
The Deception Uncovered
Ashton Guramatunhu, 46, from Dudley, fraudulently obtained work through a nursing agency in Warrington, Cheshire. He used the identity and credentials of a legitimate, qualified nurse to register with the agency. Between 1 January 2015 and 5 April 2019, he was employed at six different nursing homes across the North East of England.
Throughout this four-year period, Guramatunhu pocketed an estimated £172,920.94 in wages to which he was never entitled. His criminal activity only came to light in January 2019 when the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) contacted the real nurse about an incident at a care home where she had never worked.
Court Sentencing and Police Investigation
The genuine nurse, upon realising her identity had been stolen, reported the crime to Cleveland Police. The case was later transferred to Cheshire Police in 2020 when it was established Guramatunhu had registered with the Warrington-based agency.
Appearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, 2 December 2025, Guramatunhu was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment. He had previously pleaded guilty to a single count of fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing.
A Warning to Others
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Naomi Sargent, who led the investigation for Cheshire Police, condemned Guramatunhu's actions. She stated that despite having attended university, his previous convictions made him wholly unsuitable for care sector work.
"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," DC Sargent said. "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."
The case highlights critical vulnerabilities in pre-employment checks within the agency care sector and the severe consequences for those who exploit them.
