A 32-year-old Nigerian care worker, Ediongseyene Essien, has been sentenced to eight years in prison by a United Kingdom court for a series of targeted burglaries and robberies against elderly and disabled individuals in Liverpool.

Essien appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, where he was handed a three-year sentence for burglary and a five-year sentence for robbery, to be served consecutively, according to a statement from the Merseyside Police.

Court directions indicate he will serve 30 percent of his sentence in custody before being deported to Nigeria.

The court heard that Essien had been suspended by his care agency employers on March 9 following allegations of theft.

The very next day, March 10, he went on a crime spree across the L6 area of Liverpool, targeting vulnerable residents, including people he had previously been employed to care for.

According to police reports, Essien first stole a bank card from a vulnerable blind man, using it immediately to make multiple fraudulent purchases. Hours later, he trespassed into the bedroom of another elderly resident before breaking into the home of a severely disabled person.

Later that evening, around 9:00 PM, Essien smashed the rear patio glass of an elderly couple's residence, entering their living room while the couple watched and stealing a wallet filled with cash.

Detective Inspector Kevin O’Rourke condemned the crimes as "reprehensible," stating it was "beyond comprehension for someone with this job to go on and target those same people, and then push and grab other elderly and unwell victims in his desperation for money."

The case comes amid heightened scrutiny over international recruitment practices in the UK's health and adult social care sector, which has employed thousands of health workers from Nigeria and other overseas nations under skilled worker visa routes in recent years.

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