A fake doctor was employed as a hospital in the NHS for more than 20 years before her unbelievable secret was discovered. Zholia Alemi forged her medical qualifications to secure roles up and down the country - but her lies came back to bite her when she was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment on February 28, 2023.

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed today that Alemi will spend two and a half more years in unless she can pay back an eye-watering sum of £406,624. The 63-year-old fraudster from Burnley, Lancashire was previously found guilty of 13 counts of fraud, two counts of forgery, three counts of deception and two counts of using material to falsify medical qualifications at Manchester Crown Court.

It's estimated that Alemi, who was born in Iran but lived in New Zealand in the 1990s, earned more than £1.3m in benefits and income during her career spanning decades, taking her to jobs across England, Wales, and Scotland. Incredibly, however, she never held the qualifications required for the roles she applied for.

Questions arose when Cumbria Police discovered evidence that she forged her medical qualifications from the University of Auckland. As it transpired, she actually dropped out of her course in her first year - but her registration with the General Medical Council allowed her to gain employment in various British hospitals.

The con artist, who once lived in High Harrington, Cumbria, was also previously convicted of fraud offences in 2018 - which included forging the will of an 84-year-old which would have resulted in her inheriting £300,000 and a bungalow in the Lake District.

Her conviction led to the General Medical Council apologising for its "inadequate" checks in the 1990s - and prompted an urgent review of thousands of foreign doctors working in UK hospitals.

Legislation in force until 2003 allowed graduates from medical schools in certain Commonwealth countries, including New Zealand, to obtain registration to practise in the UK - a loophole which was wholly exploited by Alemi.

As a result, Alemi did not have to sit and pass the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board exam (PLAB), an assessment of skills which is usually required of doctors who qualified abroad.

Adrian Foster of the Crown Prosecution said: "We have robustly pursued the proceeds of crime with the NHS Counter Fraud Authority and have identified all the assets that she has available to pay her order.

"Alemi had little regard for patient welfare. She used forged New Zealand medical qualifications to obtain employment as an NHS psychiatrist for 20 years. In doing so, she must have treated hundreds of patients when she was unqualified to do so, potentially putting those patients at risk."

"Her fraudulent actions also enabled her to dishonestly earn income and benefits more than £1m, to which she was not entitled. She cheated the public purse and £406,624 will be paid in compensation to the NHS."

"In the last five years, over £478 million has been recovered from CPS-obtained Confiscation Orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending. £95 million of that amount has been returned to victims of crime, by way of compensation."