A MERSEYSIDE dentist who earned £125,000 a year was branded a “complete catastrophe” by a judge yesterday after inventing non-existent patients to falsely claim even more money.
But Nolan, of Crantock Close, Halewood, was found guilty of 20 offences by a Liverpool Crown Court jury after a three-week trial.
Mr Lamb said 16 convictions related to fictitious patients with fake addresses, while four related to over-payment for work.
He added: “Times that he had claimed for work did not tally with times in his appointment book.”
Nolan, who insisted he was just bad at record-keeping, was convicted on overpayments totalling £7,393.
But Mr Lawson-Rogers said Nolan had been owed considerably more in unpaid work by the Board.
He added: “He was running the practice in something approaching chaotic circumstances.
“Quite clearly, the record keeping and the account books were far from perfect.”
Mr Lawson-Rodgers said Nolan’s depressive illness was sparked by the death of his parents and problems with his sister.
He added that his client had continued to serve a deprived inner-city area for many years.
“This is a man who you can be confident will never be before a criminal court again.”
Nolan will now have to appear in front of the General Dental Council conduct committee and is likely to be struck off, Mr Lawson-Rodgers added.
