Dentist jailed after 18 frauds
NZPA-Reuter Aylesbury, England Hugh Hourigan, an Australian, became one of Britain’s richest dentists by extracting more than $1 million from the National Health Service. He duped the official computer which authorises payments for carrying out State health work; a court was told, and in four years his claims totalled £660,000. Hourigan, aged 45, who fled the country when he was found out in a chance investigation, was jailed for 18 months for fraud. He was convicted of 18 of 23 charges involving 8442 bogus claims.
The prosecution at Aylesbury Crown Court said that Hourigan employed Australian and New Zealand assistants in his practice. As each one left he carried on claiming cash in their names. Detectives chased him. round the world after he fled in 1979. Extradition papers were prepared in Australia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the United States but- Hourigan decided to fly back to Britain to face trial. The jury was told that the fortune he earned by the computer swindle had disappeared.
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Press, 26 November 1982, Page 4
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170Dentist jailed after 18 frauds Press, 26 November 1982, Page 4
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