A man who stole from a Tolworth Hospital patient has been sentenced to 12 months in prison.

The victim's daughter, Nicola Williams, has called for an overhaul of the criminal records check system after it emerged that the man who stole a £3,500 cheque from her dad, Anthony Gould, while he was on Magnolia ward, had previous convictions.

Mrs Williams wept as ward manager Abdi Yussef, 38, was given a custodial sentence at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, January 11, for stealing the cheque and attempting to cash it.

She said she was "overjoyed" by the sentence but said it could have been avoided had Yussef been subject to a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. He was not because he transferred from elsewhere in the NHS.

She said: "I think we have to send out a message to people in those kind of positions that they cannot abuse and take advantage of vulnerable people.

"If they had done the check my father would not have been put at risk."

Yussef was transferred from Kingston and District Community Trust, now disbanded, to South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

He was only CRB checked when he was dismissed for gross misconduct after claiming compassionate leave to visit his dying father in Sweden - in fact he was on remand and in custody for a drink-driving offence.

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust refused to comment on why the check was only done after it was discovered Yussef had been jailed.

A spokesman said that because the case was subject to a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing he could not comment any further.

NHS Employers, responsible for workforce and employment issues in the NHS, explained there was currently no requirement to retrospectively CRB check employees, nor were there any plans to introduce the safeguard.

Employees transferred from one NHS trust to another are not subject to CRB checks, while any yearly review of CRB checks is the decision of individual trusts.

Sentencing at Kingston Crown Court, Judge Bennett-Jenkins said: "These were atrocious offences. I need to make two things clear, the public disgust at the offences and to ensure that the public understand those who take these steps will be punished."