Emmanuel Nbanga, 46, has been convicted of stealing £279,000 from the public sector after working with his wife and a friend to re-sell vital stock needed for patients' operations

An NHS worker stole almost £300,000-worth of the service's equipment before selling it back them three or four times.

Emmanuel Nbanga took medical supplies from the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust in Kidderminster and repackaged it before the trust bought it back, the NHS Counter Fraud Authority discovered. He worked alongside his wife Remilekun Olusesi and the pair's friend Solomon Adeymi for two years before the group's crimes were uncovered.

Nbanga stole vital gear from operating theatre stock rooms and delivered it to Adeyemi, who was the director of a Birmingham-based company Ultimate Medical. The firm then sold the items back to the hospital's trust, sometimes up to four times, meaning the NHS was unknowingly buying back its own stock.

An investigation uncovered that the offences took place between October 2017 and September 2019, which caused significant financial loss to the National Health Service.

Nbanga, 46, was found guilty at Worcester Crown Court of fraud and fraudulent trading. His wife Olusesi, 40, was convicted of a money laundering related offence, as was Adeymi, 58, in relation to an offence of fraudulent trading.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to being in possession of false identity documents.

NHS Counter Fraud Authority's Dave Horsley said sick people also suffered with the stolen stock needed for operations on patients.

Mr Horsley said suspicion grew when a tendering process for medical supplies was launched, and the NHS discovered UML was selling to them at unusually low prices.

He told the BBC that they then noticed identification numbers on some delivered items matched those of previously ordered items.

Stephen Collman, managing director of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "This was an extensive and sustained programme of fraud which cost the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds.

"It is made all the worse by the fact that it was carried out by NHS staff members abusing their positions of trust."

Gayle Ramsay, Specialist Prosecutor of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Nbanga held a position of responsibility and trust to help ensure that vital supplies for medical operations were there to support staff and patients.

“Nbanga abused this trust and stole hard pressed taxpayer money for selfish and greedy purposes. He was supported in this public sector scam by Adeyemi and Olusessi.”

The CPS say they are "committed to continuing to work closely with law enforcement and investigatory authorities to bring individuals engaging in public sector fraud to justice".