Man worked for over four years before being caught lying about right to work in UK

A man who came to the UK on a student visa claimed he had the right to work in the UK, landed a job in the kitchen of a hospital and earned £87,000 before he was caught lying.

According to People Management, Benjamin Simbarasi worked for four years and five months as a kitchen porter at Harrogate District Hospital. He said he was from South Africa and didn't need a work permit for his job,and provided a South African passport and birth certificate, which he denies. Mr Simbarasi was actually from Zimbabwe, which meant he would need a work permit.

"The trust carried out the necessary rigorous employment checks at the time of his employment, but his dishonesty has now come to light and appropriate action has been taken by the courts," said Polly Sladen, deputy director of HR at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Simbarasi's claim of entitlement to work within the UK came under suspicion when the National Fraud Initiative carried out an exercise to prevent and detect fraud. He was arrested and faces nine months imprisonment, a two-year suspension and 200 hours of unpaid community work.

Alan Stewart, an operational fraud manager of the NHS CFS, said in an official statement released by the NHS: "This is a satisfying outcome that will help deter others who might consider doing the same as Simbarasi. He calculated he would not get found out but was wrong, and will pay a high price for his dishonesty to the NHS."

This highlights the importance of utilising tools such as a background check service, that will validate a candidate's identity, check their criminal history or right to work in the UK and verify references before they join your organisation, giving you peace of mind that you really have employed the best candidate for the job.