Nurse defrauded NHS of £135,000

Bowen-Thomas was employed at John Radcliffe Hospital

A Cardiff nurse has admitted falsely claiming almost £135,000 from the NHS over two years to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Shauna Bowen-Thomas, 35, of Westville Road, falsified time sheets every week and did not work at all, Oxford Crown Court was told.

She was employed by the British Nursing Association to work at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital and arrived there every morning but left shortly afterwards without doing anything.

The offences are so severe there is a case for a prison term

Judge Julian Hall

Bowen-Thomas, who has a two-year-old son, has been told she faces jail.

She admitted 20 charges of deception and asked for a further 59 similar offences to be taken into consideration between July 2000 and March 2002.

The court heard Bowen-Thomas would fill in a weekly time sheet and forge her manager's signature before filing her invoice.

She spent her days shopping instead of doing the rounds on the ward as her timesheets claimed.

She falsely claimed almost £135,000 before tax from the NHS Trust.

Deception

Judge Julian Hall said: "The offences are so severe there is a case for a prison term."

Prosecuting, Sandip Patel said her deception was eventually spotted by sharp-eyed staff, but only 21 months after it started.

The British Nursing Association is to pay back nearly £20,000 to the trust.

Bernard Eaton, defending Bowen-Thomas, said her actions were spurred by her husband's spending habits.

She was released on unconditional bail and will appear before court again on 7 March.