Prison dentist jailed for NHS fraud

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A prison dentist from Liverpool has been jailed after being found guilty of fraudulently claiming more than £300,000 from the NHS.

John Hudson worked at HMP Altcourse in Fazakerley for ten years, caring for inmates; he also ran a dental practice in his home town near Rochdale. Mr Hudson was paid up to £10,000 per month for his work at the privately run prison; however, he also started receiving NHS payments as a result of an administrative error at another jail. As a result of the error, Mr Hudson went on to claim more than £300,000 of NHS money, whilst also receiving payments for his private work at the jail.

Kevin Slack, prosecuting, said that Mr Hudson had exploited a weakness in the system and fraudulently claimed thousands of pounds worth of tax payers’ money. Speaking at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Judge Graham Morrow QC said that Hudson was guilty of “calculated, blatant and persistent dishonesty” despite being viewed as a respectable member of his local community; local residents in Whitworth near Rochdale wrote letters to support the dentist in court.

The error occurred when the NHS changed prison dental contracts in 2006; Hudson should have ticked a box to confirm he was already being paid by HMP Altcourse but he failed to do so and went on to claim £307,000 from the NHS.

The court heard that Mr Hudson had spent a large amount of money on his children’s school fees, as well as holidays; however, it was revealed that he was £40,000 in debt and the NHS is now planning to sue him for around £500,000.

At court in Liverpool, Hudson admitted to two counts of dishonesty, relating to falsely retaining credit from the NHS; he was subsequently jailed for two years.

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