A DENTIST who invented fictional patients and made thousands of pounds from fraudulent claims is todaybeginning a nine month jail sentence.Michael Bolsin claimed for work he had not carried out during an 18-month period at his practice in High Street, Wivenhoe.

A DENTIST who invented fictional patients and made thousands of pounds from fraudulent claims is todaybeginning a nine month jail sentence.

Michael Bolsin claimed for work he had not carried out during an 18-month period at his practice in High Street, Wivenhoe.

The Colchester primary care trust dentist, who had practised for 23 years, also charged for treatment before submitting claim forms to the Dental Practice Board claiming a patient was on income support and therefore exempt from paying.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard an investigation by an NHS counter fraud team was launched after routine monitoring of payment claims made by Bolsin showed inconsistencies.

After the problem was spotted the Dental Practice Board took a decision that from October 2002 all payment claims would be withheld until verified.

Bolsin, 52, of Hill Road in Dovercourt had pleaded guilty to four counts of false accounting and nine of furnishing false information. Another 73 similar offences were also taken into consideration.

Peter Gower, prosecuting, said Bolsin had initially tried to blame the problems on errors by staff and his patients.

He said Bolsin's records included a patient with an address at Essex University, but investigations revealed him to be “completely fictitious”.

Bolsin was arrested in April 2003 and his home and surgery were searched and a number of forged and false accounting documents were found.

Mr Gower detailed how the dentist falsified signatures from real patients claiming money for work he had not carried out.

On one of the forms, Bolsin had given the signature of a Vince Maxwell, but investigations revealed the patient's real name to be Maxwell Vince.

Mr Gower said Bolsin caused actual losses totalling £4,160 between February 2001 and December 2002.

He said the potential losses without the intervention of the authorities, would have totalled £5,781.

Phillip Gainsford mitigating, said it was a sad case and also a “puzzling one”.

“The motivation appears to be something akin to desperation, if not despair and his own inability to cope with the business side of the practice,” he said.

He added Bolsin was an “intensely private man” who led a lonely and isolated existence, both professionally and privately, with very few, if any friends.

“He worked very hard six days a week and has been working very hard for 23 years but unfortunately the business side of the practice has completely defeated him,” he said.

Mr Gainsford said the dentist found matters difficult to cope with and on the day of Bolsin's father's funeral he spent time at his practice before and after the event.

He said Bolsin had been “frustrated” by slow payments for money he was owed for dentistry work, and was not someone who would offend again.

Judge Ben Pearson, sentencing, said the dentist had been in breach of his trust and said the public would expect a custodial penalty.

Bolsin was handed nine months for each count, to run concurrently, and ordered him to pay costs of almost £33,000 and compensation of £4,160.

The dentist, who was supported in court by staff from the practice, showed no emotion as he was sentenced.

Jim Gee, the chief executive of NHS counter fraud and security management service said: “Not only did Michael Bolsin abuse his position as a respected member of the community, but he obtained NHS funds, which were meant for the delivery of patient care, for his own personal gain.”