Nurse who shaved her head daily and claimed she was dying of cancer in £180k pension scam struck off

Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 11:28 EDT, 17 September 2026 | Updated: 11:28 EDT, 17 September 2026 A neonatal nurse who shaved her head and put a cannula in her arm to convince her family she was dying of leukaemia as part of a pension scam has been struck off.Amanda Reid duped her loved ones, including her children, and professionals she was ‘at the point of death’ to obtain £185,422.95 from the Scottish Pensions Authority for her ‘ill health retirement’.Then under the name Amanda Muir, she was jailed for two years at Livingston Sheriff Court last year after admitting to fraudulently obtaining the cash.And on Thursday, the 47-year-old was struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register for her ‘sustained, deliberate, premeditated’ dishonesty.The NMC committee found Reid had altered her looks to appear as if she was battling blood cancer by taking weight loss medication and shaving her head daily.She forged 16 medical letters to persuade her GP practice she was seriously ill.The former nurse who worked at Wishaw General Hospital in Lanarkshire, claimed she has Munchausen’s syndrome and also fraudulently acquired controlled drugs from the NHS during her more than three-year offending period.She had falsely claimed to the Scottish Pensions Authority she was terminally ill and therefore entitled to specific payments, raking in the cash between April 13, 2021 and August 31, 2024. Amanda Muir shaved her head and put a cannula in her arm to convince her family she was dying of leukaemiaSome of the funds were spent on a trip to Dubai, the panel added, quoting the judge’s sentencing remarks which said: ‘...it was a substantial fraud and it resulted in you receiving a considerable sum of money… some of that money was spent… in relation to a trip to Dubai and some which no doubt came as benefit to yourself as well. Another aggravating feature clearly is that the fraud went on for a very long time and that you kept up the deceit despite knowing that you were not ill.’Reid claimed that she has psychological condition Munchausen’s and that she was not motivated by financial gain.But a social worker disputed her comments with a report seen by the panel stating: ‘[Mrs Reid] attributed her offending solely to her diagnosis of Fictious/Munchausen’s disorder.‘I have been unable to independently verify this information. In these circumstances, [Mrs Reid] took no responsibility for her offending behaviour, rather she attempted to apportion blame... for “giving [her] the idea” of applying to cash in on her pensions, despite knowing that she did not have any diagnosis.’The social work report also stated Reid had only pleaded guilty ‘because this was what she was advised to do by her legal representatives’ but ‘from her own descriptions, she made no attempt to admit to her dishonesty’.It went on: ‘It is concerning that she failed to see that her children and the pension authority are victims of her behaviour.‘[Mrs Reid] minimised her behaviour by saying that she had “made a mistake” but that she was trying to teach her children that you can make amends and move on.’Reid made no submissions to the NMC proceedings held online.Striking her off the NMC register, the panel, chaired by John Millar, found ‘no evidence of insight or remorse’.It said in its written judgement: ‘The panel considered that the dishonesty in this case was sustained, deliberate, premeditated, involving criminal fraud and financial gain.‘In addition, there was a pattern of dishonesty in relation to multiple health services, agencies and family members over a period of three years.’The ruling added: ‘The panel noted that although it had no evidence that Mrs Reid had put patients at risk of harm, Mrs Reid’s conviction provided clear evidence of repeated dishonest behaviour over a prolonged period of three years.‘The panel concluded that these behaviours raise significant concerns and indicate deep-seated attitudinal issues.‘The panel determined that this type of dishonest conduct, should it be repeated in a clinical setting, could be liable to put patients at risk of harm in the future.’