0:00:02 > 0:00:05Millions of pounds' worth of our taxes should be going to the most needy.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Trouble is, people keep stealing it.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Welcome to the world of Saints And Scroungers.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40Saints And Scroungers is all about busting benefit thieves
0:00:40 > 0:00:41who steal millions every year
0:00:41 > 0:00:46and the crack teams of investigators determined to scupper their scams.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49But we also shine the light on the saints,
0:00:49 > 0:00:53those committed to putting money into the pockets of people who deserve it
0:00:53 > 0:00:57and the people too proud to claim what is rightly theirs.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Coming up in today's programme:
0:01:00 > 0:01:03The National Health Service manager who managed to steal
0:01:03 > 0:01:08over £200,000 worth of patients' money to fund her own business.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12It was very blatant, what she did, you know.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15There was no excuse whatsoever for the actions of this person.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And the story of a man who needs a new kidney
0:01:18 > 0:01:23but faces a struggle to get the financial support he needs.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27I received a letter telling me quite clearly that there was nothing wrong with me
0:01:27 > 0:01:30and I had no incapability to work
0:01:30 > 0:01:33and I wasn't entitled, which came as a huge surprise,
0:01:33 > 0:01:38considering I was on the national kidney transplant list at this time.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43But first, the scandalous case of the NHS fraudster.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49The NHS is ours, we all pay for it and what it's there for
0:01:49 > 0:01:53is to look after the health of everyone in this country.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57But what it's not for is to pay for the running of your own personal business.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Meet Louise Tomkins, a 49-year-old senior manager
0:02:03 > 0:02:05with the NHS.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12She's responsible for overseeing an annual budget of £55 million.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19This money makes the difference between life and death.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Surely she wouldn't steal some of it for herself, would she?
0:02:24 > 0:02:26I found it really quite amazing
0:02:26 > 0:02:30that somebody that stole over £200,000 from the tax payer
0:02:30 > 0:02:33thought it was perfectly OK to then carry on working.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45Kevin Cane if head of the London and Southeast NHS counter fraud team.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Theft within the NHS is a significant problem,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52so each trust has its own local fraud investigator
0:02:52 > 0:02:54for anything that looks suspicious.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57But for high-value frauds of £15,000 or more,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00regional teams like Kevin's get called in.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06And in 2008, he got a call about Louise Tomkins.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13When she first stepped into the fraud investigation team spotlight, what did you think?
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Initially, when you get an initial allegation,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20it came from the trust themselves because they identified the problem.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23You don't know the background of the people that you're dealing with.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27We're going to know that she's somebody in a senior position
0:03:27 > 0:03:28but she was at that level
0:03:28 > 0:03:31that nobody was going to check what she was doing.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39Louise Tomkins has worked in some of the busiest hospitals in the country.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44She's a director of operations and the buck stops with her.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50The director of operations role is
0:03:50 > 0:03:55one of the most important on the board.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59She would be right at the forefront of the management of resources
0:03:59 > 0:04:01and the delivery of services.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Among her many tasks was managing staff,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08buying equipment and juggling budgets.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11It's a responsible job and it takes nerves of steel.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15She was very driven and quite intense,
0:04:15 > 0:04:20quite vocal in terms of getting things through.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22She wasn't a shrinking violet in that sense
0:04:22 > 0:04:28but we didn't quite appreciate what she was doing behind that veneer.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33So what was going on? Why was she brought to Kevin's attention?
0:04:33 > 0:04:36She was working, initially, at the Hammersmith Hospital.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40That merged with another hospital and they formed a bigger trust.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Now, as a result of that,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46- all the managers had to reapply for their own positions again.- Right.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51And Louise Tomkins was one of these managers
0:04:51 > 0:04:55but her job application was unsuccessful and she was replaced.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00After Miss Tomkins left the Imperial NHS Trust,
0:05:00 > 0:05:05her replacement was asked to undertake a review of the surgical department.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Following that review,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11some discrepancies over invoices were identified.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Those discrepancies would unravel to reveal a shocking secret,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23as Kevin's colleague Julietta Muhammad was about to find out.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28The new manager that came in,
0:05:28 > 0:05:33one of the things that came to her attention was an overspent budget
0:05:33 > 0:05:34for medical photography.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41This was alarming to her because they had an in-house medical photography department.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45So if the hospital had their own photography department,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48why were they paying someone else to do the work?
0:05:49 > 0:05:52She picked up the phone and made some enquiries.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54She spoke to the individual,
0:05:54 > 0:05:58who informed her that she was an employee of Louise Tomkins.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02But she wasn't an employee at the NHS.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05So if she was working for Tomkins but not the hospital,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07what on earth was going on?
0:06:08 > 0:06:10The new manager was amazed.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Immediately, she did a referral to the London regional team
0:06:13 > 0:06:15and asked us to look into the matter.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22'I visited Imperial Hospital...
0:06:22 > 0:06:25'and during our search for invoices,
0:06:25 > 0:06:30'we discovered that Louise Tomkins had authorised several invoices.'
0:06:30 > 0:06:33These were payments for her private business.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38It looked like Louise Tomkins was invoicing for services
0:06:38 > 0:06:40that didn't exist
0:06:40 > 0:06:43and with that one phone call, the fraud team suspected
0:06:43 > 0:06:46they had a high level of fraud on their hands.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01But the more investigator Julietta Muhammad goes through invoices Tomkins has authorised,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04the more she finds suspicious signs.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09As you can see, it's a very simple invoice.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14Didn't have letterheads that could have been knocked up on the computer in five minutes.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Julietta strongly suspects
0:07:17 > 0:07:21that these invoices are not from any genuine medical supplier.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26And if you tot up all the money paid out for them,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29it comes to thousands and thousands of pounds,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31so where has the money gone?
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Julietta begins calling the contractors named on them
0:07:34 > 0:07:37and is shocked as to what she finds out.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44Coming up later,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48how Tomkins nearly got away with stealing nearly £200,000
0:07:48 > 0:07:50of NHS money.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53And the shocking truth about where it went.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57What was the cheekiest one that you saw?
0:07:57 > 0:07:59I'll show you this one. This is a really cheeky one.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Next it's farewell, fraudsters, and hello to the innocent people -
0:08:08 > 0:08:12our saints, those who are in genuine need of help
0:08:12 > 0:08:14but who are too proud to claim what's due to them
0:08:14 > 0:08:17and their saintly helpers who point them in the right direction.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24When things go badly wrong,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27it's comforting to know that in this country,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30we have a benefits system to act as a sort of safety net.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Sadly, though, that system doesn't always work out as well as it should do
0:08:34 > 0:08:35and it's at times like that
0:08:35 > 0:08:39that it's the strength of your friendships and your relationships
0:08:39 > 0:08:41that really help you pull through.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Hey, Tobe.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49And that's exactly the case with Lee Dunlop.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51He joined the army soon after leaving school
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and when he finished his military service,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58he entered the building trade, eventually becoming a foreman.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Now, when he's not labouring, Lee has his hands full with family life.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Well, there's myself and my wife Rachel
0:09:08 > 0:09:12and Griff and Stanley and Toby are my stepsons
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and then my son Rufus, who's a year and a half old.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21'Well, with four boys living in the house,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24'there's always boys visiting, kids knocking on the door -
0:09:24 > 0:09:26'there's always something going on.'
0:09:29 > 0:09:33The only time it's quiet is usually about an hour after bedtime.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40But life as the Dunlop family knew it changed
0:09:40 > 0:09:42when Lee got some devastating news.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48I had blood in my urine and I went off to see my GP
0:09:48 > 0:09:51thinking I'd pulled a muscle or knocked myself on a building site.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56Fairly quickly, he told me that I had polycystic kidney disease
0:09:56 > 0:09:58and I'd inherited it.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00It came as a bit of a surprise
0:10:00 > 0:10:02because up until then I'd always been very fit
0:10:02 > 0:10:06and assumed that I'd skipped the horror of inherited genetic disease.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12All of a sudden, wallop, you've got a dose of something incurable
0:10:12 > 0:10:14and it's going to lead to kidney failure
0:10:14 > 0:10:17and your only option from there is a kidney transplant
0:10:17 > 0:10:19or you're going to die.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25From the day he was diagnosed, Lee's kidney function was monitored
0:10:25 > 0:10:28but it's now so bad he's on the kidney transplant waiting list.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32On average, there's a three-year wait but at the rate he's going,
0:10:32 > 0:10:37he'll either need a new kidney or dialysis before the year is out.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Initially, my wife was very, very upset.
0:10:40 > 0:10:46I went from the guy that she met that was strong and fit
0:10:46 > 0:10:48and well-known and very active
0:10:48 > 0:10:51to, all of sudden, "Look, darling, I'm still the same man
0:10:51 > 0:10:55"but, as it is, I've got something that isn't going to get better
0:10:55 > 0:10:57"and it's going to make me seriously ill."
0:10:57 > 0:11:00So it was difficult. It was very difficult.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03It was very upsetting and she had a really good cry over it
0:11:03 > 0:11:06and it left me with the position of trying to be the positive one
0:11:06 > 0:11:09and try to make it seem that it would all be all right
0:11:09 > 0:11:12but obviously, it's not all going to be all right, is it?
0:11:12 > 0:11:15It's got to be dealt with. Anything could happen yet.
0:11:17 > 0:11:18Rachel was powerless
0:11:18 > 0:11:22to prevent her husband slowly getting weaker and weaker.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27I couldn't deal with it for a while and then, six months later,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I thought, "It's time to get strong, time to go to gym,
0:11:30 > 0:11:34"time to sort myself out. I've got to be strong and I've got to be strong."
0:11:34 > 0:11:36And that's what I'm doing. I'm being strong.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40'I'm first one up out of bed, last one to sleep every night.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43'You life's an endless cycle of work, isn't it?'
0:11:43 > 0:11:47It is like being mum and dad and being a carer at the same time.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51'Lee's a very proud bloke.'
0:11:51 > 0:11:54To see him now in the physical and mental state he's in,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56it is really upsetting.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I can't explain how it makes me feel, to be honest.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01It's horrible.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04It is horrible.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12When Lee's kidneys got worse, he was forced to change his entire life,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14starting with his job.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Things got to a head and I gave up the building work.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22- Hey, Chris.- Hi. How are you doing? - I'm all right. You OK?- Yeah.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25- Come and have a coffee. - That's a good idea, it really is.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27He applied for a job at the local zoo.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33They were looking for somebody to do building work and maintenance.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36I approached them and said, "Look, I've got a kidney problem,"
0:12:36 > 0:12:38but at the time, I was still doing OK.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43Lee had a much-needed stroke of luck when he got the job at the zoo
0:12:43 > 0:12:46and Chris Moiser was an understanding boss.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50'Lee started working here about two years ago now.'
0:12:50 > 0:12:53We knew when he started that he was ill.
0:12:53 > 0:12:54'They were fantastic.'
0:12:54 > 0:12:57They were worried that they could only offer me minimum wage
0:12:57 > 0:13:00but it was more about the ability to go to work, anyway,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02and continue working.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Lee's dedication at work made him popular at the zoo
0:13:06 > 0:13:10but soon, he was too exhausted and ill to do even a part-time job,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12so he had to stop work completely.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18I went to the Jobcentre and the Jobcentre told me
0:13:18 > 0:13:19what I should be applying for.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23I was asked to attend a work-focussed capability assessment,
0:13:23 > 0:13:24which was a medical.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27I received a letter
0:13:27 > 0:13:30telling me quite clearly that there was nothing wrong with me
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and I had no incapability to work and I wasn't entitled,
0:13:33 > 0:13:35which came as a huge surprise,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39considering I was on the national kidney transplant list at this time.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41The family couldn't believe it.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Lee needed a kidney transplant but was being told to go back to work.
0:13:45 > 0:13:51With only 15% of his kidney working, Lee was permanently exhausted.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54He couldn't walk, couldn't work and had no money.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57The situation was desperate.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59It affected us in every way
0:13:59 > 0:14:02and not having the money meant that I had to sell some possessions,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06gold rings and collectables that I'd been keeping for the children,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09that I'd had for years, and I had to sell them
0:14:09 > 0:14:13because the oldest of my stepchildren, his school PE kit alone costs £74.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17So the way we had to fund it was to sell personal possessions,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20which was really quite upsetting, really.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24Lee felt he had no option but to attempt to go back to work.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27His boss, Chris Moiser, was shocked.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32It appears the government thought his ability to work as a builder
0:14:32 > 0:14:37was confirmed because he could get to the bathroom unaided
0:14:37 > 0:14:39and raise both hands above his head.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45We were horrified about the prospect of having him back at work
0:14:45 > 0:14:49because, quite frankly, I think one day could have killed him,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51and it could have killed him quickly and suddenly.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58Chris and his wife Jean set about doing all they could to strengthen Lee's case.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02We did a couple of letters to the Department of Work and Pensions,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06social security, phoned the MP's office
0:15:06 > 0:15:11and did everything else we could to draw attention to his case
0:15:11 > 0:15:13and the total sheer injustice of it.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17Along with being employers, they've become very close friends.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18They're wonderful people.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Lee was finding out that he had a friend and champion in his employer
0:15:25 > 0:15:28but there was an even bigger surprise in store for him,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31when a family friend stepped forward with a priceless offer.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39'PJ's a bit of a godsend, actually.'
0:15:39 > 0:15:43He's proving to be my hero at the moment, that's who PJ is.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46PJ saw an opportunity to help
0:15:46 > 0:15:50and without fear or thought for himself, he took it.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54Several people, with good intentions, said, "I'll give you a kidney,"
0:15:54 > 0:15:57and when PJ first said it, in all honesty, you know,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00it was a case of, "Yeah, cheers, mate, thanks very much," but...
0:16:00 > 0:16:04a few weeks passed and then PJ's knocking on my door
0:16:04 > 0:16:06and saying, "I've been for a blood test
0:16:06 > 0:16:09"to find out my blood group like you said I'd have to know."
0:16:09 > 0:16:11He went for the first test and it was compatible
0:16:11 > 0:16:13and the second test was compatible
0:16:13 > 0:16:15and we just couldn't believe it.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19I've feel like I've been given hope that my husband is coming home.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24But as with any surgery, there's always a risk,
0:16:24 > 0:16:28so offering up a kidney is a courageous thing for a healthy person to do.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Yeah, it's an amazing thing. It's an amazing thing.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34It's something that I consider every day of my life.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36To check that he can go through with the transplant,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39PJ has been in and out of hospital.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44It must be scary, thinking you're going to be going through life with just one kidney.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48What he's doing for his friend is nothing short of heroic.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51'I really, truly hope that he can get back the life he had before.'
0:16:51 > 0:16:55He's got a long road ahead of him but he's a strong man, he can do it.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57With a little bit of help from his friends, I guess.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00And thanks to Lee's boss Chris,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Lee has been secure in the knowledge that he has a job to go to
0:17:03 > 0:17:05after this ordeal is over.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08To know that when I reach the other side of it all,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11I've got work waiting for me is, well, it's wonderful, really.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17But the final great piece of news is that when the surgery goes ahead,
0:17:17 > 0:17:18Lee can rest easy
0:17:18 > 0:17:21knowing his family will have the money they need to survive.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24He has been awarded the benefits he was after,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Employment Support Allowance, for 12 months.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32I don't have to worry now. I've got 12 months to go through my surgery,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35recover from my surgery and hopefully get back to work
0:17:35 > 0:17:37without having to worry about anything else.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Yeah, psychologically, and it will have a physical impact as well,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43because I'm not going to be stressed and worried
0:17:43 > 0:17:45about trying to do a job that I can't do.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47So it's made a big difference.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Thanks to the bravery of PJ, the actions of Chris and Jane
0:17:52 > 0:17:54and the support of his wife and kids,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57he's well on the way to getting the operation and the money he needs.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Since making this film, the Department for Work and Pensions
0:18:02 > 0:18:04have had the Work Capability Assessment reviewed
0:18:04 > 0:18:06by an independent health expert
0:18:06 > 0:18:09and changes to the system will now be made
0:18:09 > 0:18:13to make the assessment fairer and more effective.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15There's light at the end of the tunnel.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19I've got to undergo surgery and I've got to recover from surgery
0:18:19 > 0:18:22but then, yeah - get my fitness back and go up the hills with the kids
0:18:22 > 0:18:24and down the beach and going back to work
0:18:24 > 0:18:28and all the things that come with a normal happy, healthy life.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30It's going to be brilliant.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32I know Lee more than anybody
0:18:32 > 0:18:37and he is such a strong person, he will get out of hospital in no time.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42I can't wait to see him just back to health and getting stronger again
0:18:42 > 0:18:45and being able to hold his little boy and play with him.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49The outlook for Lee is by no means certain
0:18:49 > 0:18:52but it's looking a lot, lot better.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54He's managed to access some vital funds
0:18:54 > 0:18:56to help him through the hard times
0:18:56 > 0:18:59and thanks to the selfless act of a very close friend,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01there is now hope for a future.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09From the saints helping people in need
0:19:09 > 0:19:11to those totally abusing the system.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15The National Health Service receives billions of pounds of government money
0:19:15 > 0:19:17to provide health care for all.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21But even this national institution isn't safe from scroungers.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Louise Tomkins was a senior NHS manager
0:19:25 > 0:19:27in charge of a huge budget.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31But when hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of suspicious invoices were discovered,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34the NHS counter fraud team wanted to know more.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39So far, they know that Louise Tomkins had authorised
0:19:39 > 0:19:41a string of dodgy invoices.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45And a phone call to one of the contractors has revealed
0:19:45 > 0:19:49that the money wasn't going on NHS equipment or staff.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52But they don't know where it is going
0:19:52 > 0:19:56or why a woman on a £70,000 salary would need it.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03What we did, after we had looked at these invoices,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05is we started to contact the payee,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08so that took us around the country.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12These individuals were willing to give statements
0:20:12 > 0:20:16and they all told us what services they offered Louise
0:20:16 > 0:20:18and it was nothing to do with the hospital.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22So what was the money paying for?
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Did Tomkins have a taste for shopping trips?
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Was it a millionaire yacht?
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Or a string of properties?
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Guess again.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41It transpires she is very well known in the equestrian world,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43dealing with horses, breeding horses,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45show jumping, this type of thing,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48and had a very good reputation in that world.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56Louise Tomkins, when not managing millions of pounds of NHS money,
0:20:56 > 0:20:57was running a stud farm.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02In fact, she was a well-known horse breeder
0:21:02 > 0:21:05and had even appeared in a country magazine,
0:21:05 > 0:21:09talking about her horses, as well as her work in the health service.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17But Louise was using the NHS budget to pay for building work,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20horses, security for the farm and even more.
0:21:23 > 0:21:29At the farm, she had an expensive and elaborate CCTV system installed.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31She altered those invoices
0:21:31 > 0:21:37so they read as though it was a CCTV system installed at the hospital.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41A CCTV system. That must have taken a lot of front.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44I'm wondering what else she put through.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48How many times did everybody shout out, "You won't believe this one!"
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- About two, three times a week. - Yeah, I bet. I bet.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54What was the cheekiest one you saw on there?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57I'll show you this one. This is a really cheeky one.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00These invoices show that she was buying horse semen.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06- Yeah.- I wonder how the NHS feel about paying for horse semen?- Mm.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09I know they do a bit for infertility and things like that
0:22:09 > 0:22:11- but not in that department. - Not at all.- Oh, no.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- Your help doesn't stretch that far, does it?- No!
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Can you believe the cheek of Louise Tomkins?
0:22:20 > 0:22:25She was using NHS money to pay for things like horse semen
0:22:25 > 0:22:26and running a stud farm,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29money that was meant to go for the care of the sick.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33And she was covering her tracks with what she believed was a foolproof system.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38While the medics in her hospital were saving lives,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42from her desk, Tomkins was doing some doctoring of her own.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Tomkins had actually been receiving invoices
0:22:47 > 0:22:50that were sent to her own private address for the business.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55The invoices were being disguised to make them look like transactions
0:22:55 > 0:22:58that would be appropriate to her department.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03So after Louise had made a few adjustments to these invoices...
0:23:05 > 0:23:08new livestock could become titanium skull caps.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12A new fence, counselling.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16And horse semen?
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Laparoscopic equipment.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Even though some of the invoices were from abroad,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Tomkins pushed them through.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29When she was questioned, she gave a plausible answer
0:23:29 > 0:23:33as to why she was buying equipment from abroad and what it was for.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35So these companies, did they know what was going on?
0:23:35 > 0:23:37No, I don't believe they did.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41What about the English work? What about the guys working at the farm?
0:23:41 > 0:23:45The money's coming in from the NHS. Surely alarm bells must ring?
0:23:45 > 0:23:48When they received the advice slip, they queried it with her
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and Louise would always have a plausible answer
0:23:51 > 0:23:52as to why it said that.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58It seems that Tomkins was very good at talking her way out of suspicion.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02But if you thought diverting medical money
0:24:02 > 0:24:05to pay for her horsey lifestyle is bad, there's more to come.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10She also had control of another pot of money,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13this time a charity fund run by the hospital.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18She wasn't just fiddling the NHS, though, she was also targeted a charitable trust.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Well, yes, the trust itself had a fund set up for the staff.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25A lot of these monies were donated by the patients themselves
0:24:25 > 0:24:29and this is set up for staff training, welfare issues
0:24:29 > 0:24:30and things like that.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34She manipulated invoices and diverted funds,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36got money back from that trust,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39where she just made up the things that she said she'd paid out for.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41She just stole the money. Scandalous behaviour.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47The fraud didn't stop when Tomkins changed jobs.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49She moved to Ealing Hospital and guess what?
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Similar invoices were found.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55This particular invoice relates to equipment
0:24:55 > 0:24:59that could be used in Louise Tomkins' horse business.
0:24:59 > 0:25:00It was dressed up
0:25:00 > 0:25:03as an invoice for laparoscopic consumables and kit.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08Laparoscopic surgery is actually the term for keyhole surgery.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14The value of the invoices paid by Ealing Hospital NHS trust
0:25:14 > 0:25:19through Louise's fraudulent actions totalled just short of £23,000
0:25:19 > 0:25:20and if you want to convert that
0:25:20 > 0:25:24into what we could do as an organisation with that money,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26that equates to five hip operations.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31But it was all about to catch up with her.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36The Metropolitan Police assisted us in arresting Louise Tomkins.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45Several documents were taken from the house, also computer equipment.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48We put all our questions to Louise,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51giving her an opportunity to give an explanation of the facts
0:25:51 > 0:25:53but she said no comment.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03They didn't need to hear it from the horse's mouth.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07There was so much evidence against Tomkins that she pleaded guilty.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Between July 2007 and September 2008,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15she had fraudulently taken a grand total
0:26:15 > 0:26:20of £201,333 of NHS money
0:26:20 > 0:26:22for her own purposes.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Even though she pleaded guilty,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Tomkins wasn't spared when it came to her punishment.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34On the 10th June 2010 at Southwark Crown Court,
0:26:34 > 0:26:39Louise Tomkins was sentenced to a hefty two years nine months in prison.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42But what about all that money she took?
0:26:44 > 0:26:48The police are currently conducting a financial investigation
0:26:48 > 0:26:52that aims to recover the money that Louise stole from the NHS,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55so it can go back into the NHS for patients.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57What a result.
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