African nurse with no right to work was paid thousands by the University of Nottingham

A ZIMBABWEAN trained to be a nurse and earned thousands of pounds in Nottingham, when he did not have leave to stay in the UK, a court heard.

Zvelibanzi Mabandla entered the country legally in 2000 but his application to the Home Office to continue to live here in 2003 was refused.

Instead of pursuing permission to be a UK resident, he obtained a place on a nursing diploma at the University of Nottingham, falsely claiming he had indefinite leave to remain. He received £19,767 in bursary payments, Nottingham Crown Court heard.

After the course, he got agency work between 2008 and 2012, earning £30,551 net, after he provided a false resident's permit to an agency.

He also worked as a mental health nurse, producing the same fake permit, and earned £40,258 net.

He was arrested and charged with three offences of fraud by false representation and six offences of possessing a false identity document.

He admitted the charges at court.

Simon Eckersley, prosecuting, said: "He said he was desperate to stay in the UK. An African person gave him a mobile to ring.

"He was told by that man to send £300 and his passport to a residential address and his passport was returned with a resident's permit in it. He believed it was a genuine document but realises by virtue of his plea it was not.

"He has worked for the NHS, paying tax for a good number of years, the criminal culpability of doing so by means of a false identity document."

Gregor Purcell, mitigating, said his client had been refused the right to stay in an application in 2003 with no right to appeal. He would have known he had no means to remain.

"The figures appear startling in size, but spread over a period of time, it is low-paid work.

"This defendant did not regularise his position."

Judge Jonathan Teare gave 36-year-old Mabandla, of Andover Road, Bestwood, three months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered he do 200 hours of unpaid work in that time.

Mabandla has a Home Office application pending on whether he will be allowed to stay in the country.

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