A former hospital chief executive who lied about his CV was given a suspended jail sentence and fined £5,000 yesterday at Shrewsbury crown court. Neil Taylor, 42, claimed to have a first-class university degree in business affairs and economics when he applied to be head of Shrewsbury and Telford NHS trust in 2003.

Suspicions arose the following year when senior managers were asked to submit proof of qualifications, and he forged a certificate. When confronted, Taylor, from Solihull, West Midlands, resigned, and later admitted to having "one or two A levels" and no other qualifications.