Fraud dentist told to repay debt

Merchant claimed to have been penalised by the system

A dentist who defrauded the NHS of at least £200,000 has been ordered to sell off his properties to repay the debt.

Shabbir Merchant, 40, is serving an 18-month jail sentence for filing false bills for dental work he never carried out at his north London practice.

Guildford Crown Court ordered him to sell off 15 properties, his Ferrari and his Tag Heuer watch.

After his debts are taken into account, his assets will raise £110,000 which will go straight back into NHS coffers.

The court heard he invested some of the money he took in properties - some in high-price London areas, which he let out to tenants, making a further £329, 520 in rent.

But while the properties are worth more than £2m, they are so heavily mortgaged their sale will only raise £52,000 profit.

Shabbir Merchant led an extravagant lifestyle on taxpayers' money Stephen McKenzie NHS Counter Fraud Service

In all his assets will only raise £110,000, the court heard, which Merchant was ordered to pay straight back to the NHS in compensation for the money it lost.

Judge Neil Stewart also ordered Merchant to pay the £40,000 cost of his defence.

Merchant claimed to have been frustrated by a system which allowed colleagues who rushed their work to make a fortune from NHS dentistry.

Meanwhile, conscientious practitioners like himself, he claimed, were financially penalised for taking the time to do the work properly.

Greed was downfall

Merchant, of Stanmore, north London, told police that as his money problems mounted, crime became his lifeline.

Prosecutors said his false claims for capping and other expensive cosmetic work over five years, allowed him to plunder NHS resources of £197,997.

A further £101, 383 worth of charges were taken into consideration by the court.

He was later struck off by the General Dental Council.

Stephen McKenzie of the NHS Counter Fraud Service dental fraud team said: "Shabbir Merchant led an extravagant lifestyle on taxpayers' money.

"Today's ruling means that some of the money he stole is now back in NHS coffers and can be spent on patient care."

He added that Merchant had lost his freedom, business and his career through greed.