A 61-year-old Nigerian doctor based in the United Kingdom, Dr. Richard Akinrolabu, has been jailed for three years after admitting to defrauding the National Health Service (NHS) of more than £268,000.
Akinrolabu, a specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Princess Royal University Hospital under King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on 4 November 2025. He earlier pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation.
According to investigators, Akinrolabu worked night and on-call shifts at three other NHS trusts between 2018 and 2021, despite repeatedly claiming he was medically unfit to perform similar duties at his primary workplace. At several points, he was on sick leave or formally placed on reduced duties, forcing his employer to secure locum doctors to cover his shifts.
The fraud was uncovered in 2021 after King’s College Hospital received information that he had been working night shifts at Basildon Hospital. A joint investigation by the trust and the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) later discovered additional shifts he completed at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, and Mid-South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
Akinrolabu was interviewed under caution in 2022 but offered no comment. After further evidence was compiled, he was charged and subsequently convicted.
During sentencing, Judge David Miller condemned his actions, saying:
“You lied to occupational health, your colleagues and your employer. The public doesn’t expect doctors to lie for personal gain.”
Ben Harrison, Head of Operations at the NHSCFA, described the fraud as a “clear and deliberate abuse of trust,” noting that the stolen funds should have gone toward patient care.
Akinrolabu had previously made headlines in 2006 when he was cleared of allegations related to an attempted illegal abortion. Although a GMC panel dismissed the claims due to inconsistencies, he admitted to having a personal relationship with the complainant.
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