'Considerable' doubt over Chua's nursing qualifications

Victorino Chua confessed he was "evil" and going "straight to hell" as he wrote of the demons inside him.

It revealed a man deeply discontent with his lot in life and wracked with guilt and regret, obsessed with money and status, yet still harbouring a sense of injustice and superiority.

What the jury did not hear about was his previous strong streak of dishonesty or of the considerable doubt over Chua's qualifications as a nurse in the first place.

When detectives flew out to the Philippines and checked his original pass certificate from the Philippines Board of Nursing, it had the photo of what appears to be another person attached - suggesting it may not even have been Chua who sat the final exam to qualify as a nurse.

Chua was vetted and complied with the regulations at the time he came to the UK to work as a nurse.

In 2003, when he was registered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Chua would have been required to provide copies of a certificate of training, employment history and his passport, as copies were the requirement at the time.

Jackie Smith, chief executive of the NMC, said officials have looked back at Chua's application and he passed the requirements at the time.

Foreign nurses must now complete an online test, and if they pass, candidates can apply for a visa to work in the UK.

They are interviewed and original documents, work history and qualifications are examined.