Conman duped way into plumbing lecturer post

He duped bosses with false qualifications and went undetected for almost six months.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how Andrew Woodfield succeeded in getting the lecturing job at Walsall Training Centre by brazenly presenting qualifications that weren't his and bore a different name.

When asked about this, Woodfield, who was described in court as a known fraudster, claimed he had changed his name as he was adopted but had since reverted back to his original name.

The qualifications actually belonged to a man called Nicholas Davies, from Wrexham in north Wales. The pair had briefly come into contact in Birmingham. Mr Davies had no idea Woodfield was using his qualifications and was angered by the deception.

Students taking their NVQs under Woodfield's 'guidance' who achieved qualifications had to be reassessed.

The 45-year-old, of Queensway, Stourbridge, was paid £13,000 during his time at the centre.

But alarm bells began ringing for his boss Steve Edis, who had given him the job at the centre on the Birchills House Industrial Estate, when it was noticed that his date of birth was also different to that on his qualifications documents. Woodfield's deception was then finally rumbled and he admitted that he did not have the relevant qualifications for the role.

He was handed a 12-month prison sentence on Thursday, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation. He must also complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

But Mr Christopher O'Gorman, defending, said no problems were ever raised about Woodfield's conduct while he worked at the centre.