NHS cash thieves, Mr and Mrs Money, jailed

A couple called Mr and Mrs Money have been jailed after stealing almost £300,000 from the NHS.

David Money, 64, and his wife Brenda, 62, used the stolen cash to go on lavish holidays to Hawaii and the Caribbean, it is said.

Brenda siphoned £296,000 into their joint account from the Memorial Hospital in Shooters Hill, south London, where she worked, according to the NHS.

The couple, of Bexley, Kent, also dined at the Oxo Tower in London, went on shopping sprees and used the funds to repay their mortgage and debts between January 2010 and October 2011, the NHS has said.

David was jailed for 15 months at Woolwich Crown Court for acquiring criminal property to the value of £164,000.

Brenda was jailed for 30 months in March after she was convicted of fraud by abuse of position.

Susan Frith, of NHS Protect, said: "David Money knowingly benefited from his wife's £296,000 fraud against the NHS, money which should have been spent on patient care.

"This jail sentence should act as a deterrent to those who think stealing from the NHS will go undetected."

David allegedly claimed he thought the funds came from savings and undeclared earnings from his motor mechanic business.