Man jailed for pretending to be doctor to land NHS job at Cambridgeshire trust
Phillip Hufton, 52, swindled his employers out of almost 拢350,000 after he claimed expenses for a family holiday to America.
Friday 23 November 2018 20:41, UK
A fraudster who lied on his CV to get a job in the NHS and then cheated his employers out of almost 拢350,000 has been jailed for five years.
Phillip Hufton, 52, pretended he had cancer to take time off for surgery which was never carried out.
He went on a family holiday to America while supposedly on a work trip, which he was claiming expenses for.
Hufton claimed he was a doctor and had a wealth of qualifications after enjoying a successful career in the army.
But his only qualification was a nursing degree and he had been in the Territorial Army where he posed for photos with fake medals he had bought online.
His lies landed him a job as a business development manager for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust at Fulbourn Hospital near Cambridge.
Hufton, of Cheadle Hume, Cheshire, was dismissed in January 2016 after 17 months as it emerged he had been telling a pack of lies.
The trust hired him to promote its business in the Middle East, but instead he went on a family holiday to America while claiming he was on a work trip to Jordan.
At an earlier hearing, Hufton admitted two counts of fraud by false representation, Cambridgeshire Police said.
The force said he was sentenced on Thursday at Cambridge Crown Court to five years in prison.
Hufton claimed the benefit to him was £173,000, but when sentencing, the court considered the full £349,383 paid to Hufton while he was working for the trust.
Judge Jonathan Cooper told Hufton the offences helped him fund a lavish lifestyle.
After the hearing, Sergeant Andy Denzey said: "His lies were almost beyond belief.
"He admitted to claiming to be in Jordan whilst actually on holiday in America with his family.
"He admitted to lying about having cancer.
"Hufton caused a great inconvenience and a large amount of stress to all involved, turning his hand to criminality in order to fund his personal life."
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust said Hufton's actions were "reprehensible".