A children’s nurse who pretended she was dying from leukaemia to fraudulently obtain more than £185,000 in pension payments has been struck off. Amanda Reid, also known as Muir, convinced family members, children and professionals that she was “at the point of death” despite knowing she was not terminally ill. As part of the deception, Reid shaved her head daily and took weight-loss medication in an attempt to make it appear she was undergoing the effects of blood cancer. She falsely told the Scottish Public Pensions Agency that she had terminal leukaemia and was therefore entitled to specific pension payments. In September 2025, Reid pleaded guilty to defrauding the agency of £185,442.95 between April 13, 2021, and August 31, 2024. She was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison at Livingston Sheriff Court. Details of the elaborate deception were considered during professional disciplinary proceedings, which resulted in Reid being removed from the nursing register. The panel heard that her false claims had extended beyond the pension agency, with those around her led to believe she was seriously ill and approaching the end of her life. Sentencing remarks quoted during the proceedings also revealed that some of the fraudulently obtained money was spent on a trip to Dubai. The disciplinary panel concluded that Reid’s conduct was fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the nursing register and imposed a striking-off order.
Originally published by UKNIP.
