NHS Worker Avoids Jail for £80,000 Theft to Fund Online Romance Scam

On August 7th, 2025, it was revealed that an NHS administrator named Hyacinth Blair had stolen £80,000 from her employer, the South London & Maudsley NHS trust, over the course of 18 months between June 2021 and January 2023. Blair, who is 63 years old, had been working as an administrator for the trust when she began withdrawing the funds and sending them to a man named Michael Okafor, with whom she had entered an online relationship.

Blair claimed that Okafor had pressured her to send the money and that she felt "helpless" in the situation. However, the judge presiding over the case, Lynn Tayton, KC, noted that there was "sustained dishonesty" in Blair's actions, and that the stolen funds were intended for public services, causing distress among her colleagues.

Despite the severity of the crime, Blair was given a two-year jail sentence that was suspended for two years. The judge cited Blair's lack of previous convictions and positive character references as factors in the decision. Blair must now complete 250 hours of unpaid work, undergo 15 days of rehabilitation activity, and receive six months of mental health treatment.

The judge warned Blair that she would face immediate imprisonment if she were to come before the court again, emphasizing the gravity of her actions and the need to restore public confidence in the NHS's financial controls.