Home | Zimbabwe | Zimbabwean nurse jailed for £45k benefit fraud

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19 August, 2009 09:53:00 Alexander Chigumira

The deception came to light when Owusu - who is originally from Zimbabwe - changed her name three or four times by deed poll

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WEST SUSSEX, UK - A Zimbabwean nurse who worked at Worthing hospital has been jailed for one year for illegally claiming almost £45,000 in benefits.

Mother-of-two Dana Afrokomah Owusu, 28, from Kithurst Crescent, Goring, worked as a staff nurse at the hospital from May, 2005, until December, 2008, while claiming she was unemployed.

Owusu, also known as Banyard, admitted five offences of benefit fraud when she appeared at Chichester Crown Court on Monday, August 17.

The court heard she was overpaid £23,268.35 of income support, £18,551.93 of housing benefit and council tax benefit of £2,916.49; a grand total of £44,736.76.

The deception came to light when Owusu - who is originally from Zimbabwe - changed her name three or four times by deed poll, alerting the suspicions of Worthing Hospital counter-fraud officers concerned about her legal identity.

Their investigations with Worthing Council revealed she was wrongly claiming benefits and the council took over the case with the help of the Department of Work and Pensions.

Judge Charles Byers told Owusu: "Those who defraud public revenue steal from every honest citizen in the country.

"The money could have gone to those who needed it. Your conduct was persistent over a long period of time."

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Comments (4 posted):

honolulu on 19 August, 2009 12:30:06

FOR GOD'S SAKE THAT NAME IS NOT ZIMBABWEAN IN AN WAY. OTHERWISE SHE EVEN FORGED ZIMBABWEAN IDENTITY. THAT NAME IS MORE GHANAIAN OR NIGERIAN OR SOMEWHERE FROM WEST AFRICA, UNLESS IF SHE IS MARRIED TO A WEST AFRICAN WITH THAT NAME, THEN SHE MIGHT BE ZIMBABWEAN. FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT TO ASCERTAIN HER REAL COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

Alexander Chigumira on 19 August, 2009 01:03:35

Wena Honolulu, its even said in the article that she changed names on a number of occassions.

John M. on 19 August, 2009 04:30:36

This fraudster must be exposed! She IS NOT Zimbabwean!!!! We have enough criminals of our own (eg Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara - just to name a few!!!)

Hope Maverick on 22 August, 2009 01:01:07

There are a lot of people of Ghana origin in Zimbabwe. When I was in high school, in the late 80's there were a lot of expatriate teachers from Ghana, with the same 2nd name. You can have a person called Mutare as British. Its only a name. she can be from anywhere, maybe from America. She changed her name 3 times. Maybe her real name is Gracious Mugobhe