Illegal immigrant falsely claimed almost £50 000 in bursaries

Nomsa Muhlwa, 27, received a suspended sentence after a judge at Maidstone Crown Court said she had "given something back to the community". The Zimbabwean mother-of-two arrived in the UK in 2002 and was granted a six-month visa that prohibited her from working

However, she became a student at Hull University from September 2004 until January 2008 and graduated with a BSc in nursing.

Tom Allen, prosecuting, said Muhlwa obtained an NHS bursary over four years totalling £48,742 by using a forged Home Office letter stating she had indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

She later worked for West Kent Primary Care Trust as a community staff nurse.

When arrested in February last year, officers found a false Zimbabwean passport as well as documents confirming that appeals for asylum had been rejected.

Muhlwa, of Hayes, Middlesex, admitted false accounting, using a false instrument and possessing a false identification document.

James Martin, defending, said: "She is a young woman driven from her home because of political concerns. She wanted more than anything to establish herself as a hard-working member of society".

Judge David Griffith-Jones QC said a prison sentence was justified but that he was prepared to suspend an eight month term for 18 months.

She was also ordered carry out 200 hours unpaid work.

He said: "In particular, I note you obtained a bursary to which you were not entitled to have in order to better yourself and have since worked in a position in which you were able to give something back to the community."