Pregnant Nigerian Overstayer's British Baby Bid

NHS Freebie: Oluwaseun Adenubi

The truth behind a pregnant Nigerian visitor's plan for her new-born baby - delivered at NHS expense - to become a British citizen is no clearer after she and the imposter prospective parents were sentenced.

Oluwaseun Adenubi, 30, used the UK passport of her friend, 32 year-old Rita Ogunkunle, to obtain over £4,000 of free care and after the delivery the pal and her boyfriend Michael Adebambo, 46, registered the baby as theirs.

However, staff at Farnborough's Princess Royal University Hospital realised the medical records of the genuine Ogunkunle, who received acne treatment there, conflicted with the pregnant patient claiming to be her.

"The difficulty is getting an honest answer from all three as to what the ultimate aim was," announced Croydon Crown Court Recorder Andrew Wright. "Miss Ogunkunle's story is one I am struggling with."

Adenubi, of Fordcroft Road, Orpington, who was granted a family visit visa which allows her to stay in the UK for up to six months, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation against the hospital between April 19 and July 2, last year, namely dishonestly obtaining free medical treatment.

Student social worker Ogunkunle and Adebambo, both of Clarendon Green, Orpington pleaded guilty to wilfully giving false information concerning the registration of a birth, namely reporting to be the parents of Moses Adenubi, at Bromley Civic Centre on July 1.

Adenubi was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years, by Recorder Wright, who said: "I suspend it because in particular there is no one to look after her child.

"There should be no more burden on the taxpayer than there already has been."

Bogus 'Parents': Rita Ogunkunle & Michael Adebambo

Both Ogunkunle and Adebambo received six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and Recorder Wright added: "I don't fully understand why the three of you did what you did.

"All of you lose your good character  and that will make life more difficult, wether you are in the UK legitimately or seeking to remain.

"For you Miss Ogunkunle it has been a complete waste of your efforts to qualify as a social worker. It's mad and I don't understand it." 

The prosecution did not pursue a theory Adenubi was a paid surrogate, who was having a child for Ogunkunle.

Prosecutor Miss Alexandra Boshell told the court: "Maybe there was a motivation to secure the nationality of the child as a British citizen and free NHS treatment.

"After the baby was born on June the thirtieth the staff realised something was not right because Ogunkunle has severe scarring, which the baby's mother did not have and there were two different blood types for the same patient."

The next day, both Ogunkunle and Adebambo turned up at Bromley Civic Centre and registered the birth as the child's parents and obtained an NHS number for the baby.

Ogunkunle was arrested on August 8 and claimed Adenubi took her passport after moving into her spare room and she did not know her lodger was posing as her until she heard a hospital nurse call her 'Rita'.

"She admitted falsely registering the birth of the baby and said she had been introduced to Adenubi by a friend of her mother's and took pity on her because she was pregnant and had no friends.

"She told the police she was angry at Adenubi using her identity and tried to beat her to it by registering the child."

Ogunkunle's lawyer Miss Anna Hamilton-Shield said: "It was a stupid mistake, a silly thing to do. In a moment of madness she decided to go there and get the documentation herself."

Adebambo, who has permanent leave to remain in the UK, was questioned in November. "He said his girlfriend asked him to go to the registry office to register a birth and said she told him she did not want another woman to use her identity.

"He said he did it out of love for his girlfriend and was very remorseful."

Adenubi, who was seven months pregnant when she arrived in the UK was also questioned. "She claimed she was fleeing a violent partner in Nigeria and claimed to have no  family here and no contact with her family in Nigeria.

"She said she arrived with nowhere to go and met a Nigerian man at the airport and met others via a church, but had no details of those she stayed with.

"She claimed to have found Ogunkunle's passport on a bench in Orpington market and only used it to get free medical services."

Today Adenubi abandoned the claim she found the passport and Recorder Wright said: "All three of them have not been forthright, but we are where we are."

Adenubi was ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge and the couple will have to pay £100 each.