TikToker 'arrested for sneaking into hospitals and posing as a doctor'

A TikToker has reportedly been arrested after posing as a doctor online and for attempting to gain access to a hospital.

Matthew Lani posted videos, which have since been deleted, allegedly claiming that he was a medical professional and giving health advice to his followers.

He also claimed to have received a medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, which has since been dismissed by the uni.

The South African said he was a doctor in Johannesburg, but he was apprehended by police after reportedly attempting to get past security staff at Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg.

He is said to have attempted to bluff his way into the building by wearing a stethoscope and a surgical mask.

Then, after being followed by law enforcement officers, he tried to escape by jumping out of a bathroom window before being detained.

The Gauteng province’s Department of Health released a statement saying: “Lani was caught just before 8pm disguised in a hoodie and wearing a surgical mask with a stethoscope around his neck.

"He had previously entered the same facility to curate misleading content under the pretence that he was a qualified doctor."

Since the National Prosecuting Authority released a statement, stating that Lani had been released as it had “no evidence” to charge him.

NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said: "With the evidence currently contained in the docket, we had to decide as the prosecution if there are any prospects of a successful prosecution or not, and having to do that simply meant that we had to differentiate and make a decision with what is before us.

"If we say that we have a person that can say they lied or are we having a person that has misrepresented, if we alleged that a person has misrepresented, then that must be followed by actual or potential prejudice.

"So, currently, in the information contained in the docket, we don't have such information hence, we have given instructions for investigations that must be complied with. Once it’s done, the docket can be brought back to the NPA for a decision."

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