A woman accused of lying about her nursing qualifications at a neonatal unit in Bridgend was also accused of stealing money raised for it, Cardiff Crown Court has heard.

The court was told that £860 was collected for the ward in September 2019 by a mother of a premature baby who ran a half-marathon.

Neonatal ward manager Tanya Nasir, 45, denies nine counts of fraud and fraud by false representation.

She described the allegation that she had taken the charity money as “awful.”

She began working in the unit in September that year, and was suspended in February 2020 following concerns about her CV. She resigned in November 2020 two days before a planned disciplinary hearing.

It is claimed Ms Nasir, from Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, lied about her qualifications and experience to get the band seven post at the hospital unit, which cares for ill and premature babies.

The court has heard that Ms Nasir claimed to have substantial experience working with premature babies and in adult intensive care.

She also said that she had served in the Army as a medic, with service “in a field hospital 500 metres (0.3 miles) from the front line” in Afghanistan, as well as in Iraq, Syria, Kosovo, Haiti, Bosnia, Malawi, and Zambia.

Additionally, she claimed to hold the ranks of major and colour sergeant.

However, the court was informed that checks of Ministry of Defence records found no evidence of her serving in the Army or the Reserves. It was revealed that she was an adult volunteer with the Army Cadets but had never seen active service.

Ms. Nasir was arrested by Dyfed-Powys Police at her home in Brecon in spring 2021 and questioned by NHS counter-fraud investigators.

On Monday, the court heard testimony about a mother who ran a half-marathon and raised £860 for the unit, which she handed to Ms Nasir in December 2019.

Interview transcripts read in court said investigators Beverley Jones and Neil Jones informed Ms Nasir there was “no trace of the £860 ever being recorded”. The defendant described the allegation as “awful,” adding: “I’m actually really upset by this.”

She said she and the mother met and spoke in the unit’s reception area when the sponsorship money was delivered.

“I don’t think I even opened it,” she said. “The lady told me it was £800 and something.”

When asked by investigators why she didn’t open the envelope and count the money, she said: “I didn’t think it was appropriate to count money out in front of someone.”

The investigators said counting it out would have been the most appropriate action to take.

They told her: “You were in a position of trust. You accepted £860 in cash from a family who had undertaken a half marathon”.

Ms Nasir said another nurse on the unit also accepted donations.

“I didn’t steal the money,” she told them.

“One of you has,” they told her.

“That’s awful, absolutely disgusting,” she said.

The court was also informed that Ms Nasir was addressed as “doctor” by teachers at her daughter’s school and in letters from credit companies.

In a letter sent in 2010 to authorise out-of-school trips, she was addressed as Dr Nasir, and a subsequent letter about a prize-giving day began with “Dear Dr Nasir.”

When investigators asked why this was the case, she replied: “I am not claiming to be a doctor; it’s a courtesy because they knew I was a healthcare professional. I’m not a doctor, I’m a nurse.”

The court further heard that when police officers searched her home in John Street, Brecon, they found several certificates. NHS counter-fraud investigators told her they believed these certificates were fakes.

One certificate was for a master’s in leadership, purportedly issued by the “Royal British Army” and Reading University. She was informed it was a forgery, and the university had no record of a student named Tanya Nasir. She responded: “I completed the online course, and that was the certificate I was sent.”

The search also uncovered a presentation folder containing certificates and documents to support her application for the senior role in the neonatal unit at the Princess of Wales Hospital.

Among these was a certificate from the “Royal British Army” stating she was required to attend training camps in Zambia and Malawi in 2019. The document described the late Queen as “the defender of faith.”

Challenged by the investigators, Ms. Nasir admitted, “Yeah, no, some of that doesn’t make any sense.” When asked why it was in her application folder, she said: “I don’t even know what this is talking about.”

The trial continues.