A pair of Twickenham residents who carried out a “determined attack” on NHS funds have been spared prison.

Francis Backer-Ocran and Kyrone Collins, who both live in Manor Road, were given suspended sentences when they appeared at court on Friday, July 8, after pleading guilty to helping defraud the NHS out of £61,876.

The two 23 year olds assisted NHS financial analyst Lance Sewell, who was working at Guy’s & St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust, in diverting money, totalling £16,402, from four doctors’ bank accounts to other accounts in January 2009.

In July 2009, the trust’s accountants spotted suspicious alterations to a manager’s signature and investigations revealed a number of fraudulent invoices.

Thirteen different bank accounts were traced by investigators and found to be involved in the fraud, which saw Sewell divert NHS payments of £61,876.30 in total.

A further £92,000 worth of fraudulent invoices had been submitted, but were not paid due to the diligence of trust staff, the court heard.

Collins and Backer-Ocran pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the NHS contrary to common law at a court appearance in May.

Collins was sentenced to 40 weeks, suspended for two years, and 140 hours community payback work, at Southwark Crown Court, on Friday, July 8.

Backer-Ocran was sentenced to 36 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 100 hours of free community work.

Sewell, 24, of Moremead Road, Catford, who pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the NHS contrary to common law and to two counts of possessing criminal property, was slapped with a 21 month prison sentence.

Two other accomplices were given suspended sentences and ordered to do community work.

Mark Howard, London area anti-fraud specialist for NHS Protect, said: “This was a sustained and determined attack on NHS funds. The group kept changing its tactics to try and stay one step ahead of being detected, but failed, and these young men must now pay the price for their crimes.

“Who knows how much more they would have stolen from the NHS had we not stopped them.”

A sixth man who pleaded not guilty to both charges is due to stand trial in September.