Manager must pay out £10.5k after NHS fraud

PORTHCAWL A senior NHS manager has been found guilty of defrauding her employers after being caught competing in horse riding competitions while on sick leave. Elise David, 33, took four months off from her job as a quality manager at the Surgical Materials Testing Laboratory at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend. She claimed to be suffering from a back injury after falling from her horse on June 5, 2016, but during the course of her absence from work she took part in a number of showjumping, dressage and cross country competitions. Her offending came to light after her employers saw results in her name on the British Eventing website and came into possession of photographs which showed her riding at events. David, of West Road, Nottage, in Porthcawl, denied one count of fraud but was found guilty following a three-day trial at Newport Crown Court yesterday. In total, David received £8,216.72 fraudulently between July 1, 2016, and October 11, 2016. Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said: “Your actions were cynical and deliberate and dishonest and you felt entitled to defraud the public purse.” David was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay £8,216 in compensation to the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and £2,500 towards the prosecution’s costs.