Charges were 'mix up', court told

AN Ipswich Dentist told a court a mix up over supplies had led to him overcharging patients. Paul Tildsley 38, of Geneva Road, denied seven charges of obtaining money transfers by deception.

AN Ipswich Dentist told a court a mix up over supplies had led to him overcharging patients. Paul Tildsley 38, of Geneva Road denied seven charges of obtaining money transfers by deception. He told Ipswich Crown Court he had inadvertently charged patients for gold crowns when he had actually non precious metal crowns.

He said he and his supplier James McCandless of Orwell Dental Laboratories had agreed to use different initials on order forms to describe the two types of crown and this had resulted in confusion.

Tildsley also denied knowingly obtaining inflated payments for special trays used for making denture impressions when he had actually used standard reusable trays. When asked by prosecutor David Wilson "do you now accept they are not special trays" Tildsley replied "Yes". The came from the dental director I cannot remember the word he used, after I was told about them I stopped claiming for the special trays which were not special, I believed they were special trays"

The offences allegedly happened while Tildsley was working as a dentist at a surgery in The Walk Ipswich in 2001.

The court heard a glowing reference from Lt Col Richard Peel who described Tildsley as a person he "rated highly" and as "probably the best dentist, he had been too".

Another reference came from Jackie Church who thanked Tildsley for being a have a go hero when he chased after a thief who stole her wallet containing £60.

The Trial continues.