A former theatre manager at St Albans City Hospital has been jailed for 11 years for his part in a fraud that cost the NHS £600,000.

Hasan Abusheikha, of Church Street in Hemel Hempstead, was sentenced following a trial at St Albans Crown Court where he was found guilty of theft, fraud and bribery.

Elmo Emanuel, 74, of Station Road in Wingate, County Durham, who ran medical equipment suppliers Implants International and Xtremity Solutions, was also convicted of bribing Abusheikha and jailed for 28 months.

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Another trust supplier, Jawid Khan, 51, Windmill Road, Hemel Hempstead, admitted to bribery and was handed an 18-month suspended sentence, while being ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

As part of his role, Abusheikha was required to make purchase order requests for items required for surgical procedures carried out within the hospital.

An investigation undertaken by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority found that the 47-year-old accepted bribes from Emanuel and Khan to ensure that the trust procured medical equipment from the companies concerned.

Prosecutor James Brown said Emanuel bribed Abusheikha with £10,000, over a period of five years, for sales of over £200,000, which was paid into Abusheikha's brother's bank account in Jordan.

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Khan had also paid a bribe of £2,082 into Abusheikha's bank account over 15 months for £21,228 worth of sales.

During an investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, a search of Abusheikha’s house uncovered a large number of orthopaedic implantable devices, surgical instruments and medical equipment, valued in excess of £65,000.

Sentencing, Judge Lana Wood said: "The earning of commission was your primary objective.

"Your primary concern should have been the best interests of the trust."