NHS Admin Workers Jailed for Fake Covid-19 Vaccination Records
Three Westfield Stratford City staff forged records to profit during lockdown, court hears; sentences range from more than a year to four years and four months.
A trio of NHS administrative workers at a London vaccination centre were jailed after selling fake Covid-19 vaccination records to deter lockdown restrictions and enable travel and access to venues during the pandemic. Hakeem Walters, 29; Rokibul Islam, 31; and Muhammed Ahmed, 27, worked at the vaccination clinic at Westfield Stratford City in east London, and their scheme collectively earned about £412,000, Southwark Crown Court heard.
The defendants falsified 1,648 vaccine records relating to 847 individuals, charging about £250 per fake entry. Islam had access to the National Immunisation Vaccination System (NIVS) and allegedly sold his confidential login details to Ahmed for £1,000. Prosecutors said each entry falsely indicated that the person had been vaccinated, then appeared as fully vaccinated on the NHS Covid-19 App, which in turn could enable travel, attendance at restricted venues, or eligibility for work that carried vaccination requirements.
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During a sentencing hearing, Judge Sally-Ann Hales described the offences as serious breaches of trust carried out during a national crisis. The court heard the conspiracies spanned from August 17 to December 13, 2021, and involved creating false vaccination records to secure financial gain. While no single named victim could be identified, the judge emphasized that the public health risk from undermining vaccination verification was self-evident.
The trio admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and conspiracy to cause a computer to perform a function with intent. Prosecutor Kathryn Drummond noted that the defendants held positions of trust within the NHS at a critical time and that the scheme harmed the integrity of the vaccination program, which was intended to protect vulnerable people and reduce transmission during the pandemic. The falsified records allowed those 847 individuals to enjoy greater freedom than was appropriate under lockdown rules, according to the prosecution.
In detailing the sentences, the judge said the offences were so serious that immediate custodial punishment was warranted. Walters, of Brooke Road in Hackney, Ahmed, of Courtland Avenue in Ilford, and Islam, of Ettrick Street in Tower Hamlets, all pleaded guilty to the charged conspiracies. The court imposed different penalties: Walters and Ahmed received four years and four months in prison, while Islam was sentenced to one year and seven months. The court noted that the harm to public health extended beyond any single person and reflected the broader risk created by deceptive vaccine records during a national emergency.
The case underscores ongoing concerns about safeguarding health records and the verification systems used to manage vaccination data amid public health crises. It also illustrates how access to sensitive IT systems can be misused for personal profit, even by those entrusted with administering health services. Police and prosecutors said the outcome serves as a warning that exploitations of NHS IT infrastructure during the pandemic would be pursued and punished. The Westfield Stratford vaccination site had been one of several clinics operating under strict public health measures during the Covid-19 emergency, and the court’s decision emphasizes the duty of care owed by NHS employees to maintain the integrity of vaccination data and national health safeguards.