Latest news with #DavidHurst
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
British dentist's cosmetics tycoon wife faces his patients' fury after he killed himself in Australia with £1.1m missing from his accounts
A British dentist's cosmetics tycoon wife has been left to face his fury after he killed himself with £1.1million missing from his accounts. Dr David Hurst, who was originally from Glamorgan, Wales, left the UK for Australia after admitting 69 counts of theft from the NHS - receiving a suspended jail term in 2012. Cardiff Crown Court heard he had submitted claims with forged patient declarations to steal £15,584 while he was working at Bridgend Dental Centre But after leaving the UK in 2013 he was able to set up his own luxury dental practice in the west of the country - Perth Dental Rooms. This was despite being barred from practicing as a dentist in the UK in 2014, WalesOnline reports. And when he died by suicide, aged 43, 132 horrified customers were left 'in limbo', after he insisted they paid upfront for their treatments but had yet to deliver on their procedures. Hurst is alleged to have taken £1.1million out of the company before his death - while untreated patients were owed a total of £1.6million. Now the dentist's widow has been left to step into his role as director and deal with the furious patients after the practice fell into liquidation shortly after his suicide on December 10 last year Clara, a 43-year-old mother of two, is herself a former dentist whose soaring success in cosmetic injectables has seen her become a high society figure in the Australian city. She owns the high-end Cottesloe salon Blanc and also co-founded prescription skincare brand The Secret, which offers customers medical-strength skincare by filling out a questionnaire of their skin type. The Secret hit $1million in sales in six months and net sales of $2.65million by 2021. Earlier predictions indicated the business would reach $7million in revenue by 2023. His widow has not publicly commented on her husband's criminal past nor the circumstances surrounding the collapse of his business - and there is no suggestion that she knew anything about his illegal activities. Taking to social media in December, Perth Dental Rooms paid tribute to their former director in a post where the comments have been turned off. Alongside assuring waiting patients that they would still be treated, they said: 'It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of our beloved principal dentist and owner, David Hurst. 'His unwavering dedication to our patients and the practice has left a lasting impact, and he will be profoundly missed by all who knew him.' Hurst insisted all of his patients paid up front, Australia's Sunday Times reported, with some forking out tens of thousands for expensive procedures. They now face losing their money after the company collapsed - leaving several with severe pain as they remain untreated. 'There are just victims everywhere you look in this horrible mess,' liquidator Bryan Hughes told the outlet. 'Drawing on patient prepayments in advance of earning them has left a very large financial deficit. That financial deficit is causing enormous personal suffering for many patients.' Cardiff Crown Court heard that Hurst had fraudulently made a series of the highest value NHS claims between 2006 and 2007. He paid back the full £15,584 to the NHS, alongside a further £12,991 in costs, WalesOnline reports.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ag-related career opportunities plentiful, diverse
Four hundred Somerset County eighth-graders had their eyes opened recently to career opportunities in agriculture during an event at Pennwood Farms in Berlin. Longtime dairy farmer Harold Shaulis told our David Hurst that 'it's not all about growing crops and raising cattle.' Statewide, 25% of careers involve agriculture in some way, shape or form. That includes preservation work on state lands, logging and the veterinary field. There are ag-related banking jobs, sales professionals needed to provide ever-changing farm equipment and mechanics to maintain it. Abby Shuck is a perfect example of operating an agriculture business on a small scale. She told Meyersdale Area Middle School eighth-graders that she's an entrepreneur. She said, 'I make 10 bars (of goat milk soap) at a time … and it's helping me pay for my college costs.' The goal of the Agricultural Career Day was to broaden local youths' perspectives about the agricultural field – and the jobs that exist within it. Somerset Area eighth-grader Jacklyn Richard was seeing that for herself. She said that she was already considering following in her sister's footsteps into veterinary work, but said that dozens of presentations gave her more to think about. She told Hurst that Shuck's success of turning goat milk into a healthy skin product was a highlight of her day. She said, 'It's just really interesting getting to hear what everyone does and learning about their jobs.' Garrett Waydo, a Berlin Brothersvalley eighth-grader, agreed. He said he already works for Leydig Farms, bagging feed that is hauled to livestock. Somerset County Commissioner Irv Kimmel Jr. raises beef cattle on his family's Rockwood-area farmland, but said young people in rural Somerset County have little experience with the industry. He said, 'They can come here, walk around and get a real feel for the industry, and a lot of jobs they probably don't know exist.' We agree. It's worth checking out.
West Australian
10-05-2025
- West Australian
David Hurst case is tip of the ice-berg, with systemic abuse of early access to super clause
The West Australian exclusive David Hurst case is tip of the ice-berg, with systemic abuse of early access to super clause
West Australian
10-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Ashlee Fruet one of patient's caught up in David Hurst's mess after he was reprimanded but allowed to carry on
The West Australian exclusive Ashlee Fruet one of patient's caught up in David Hurst's mess after he was reprimanded but allowed to carry on
Daily Mirror
05-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Dentist who defrauded NHS and 'stole thousands' from patients dies leaving trail of despair
Dr David Hurst was handed a suspended jail term in 2012 after admitting 69 counts of theft from the NHS. He then moved to Australia where he continued to run a dental clinic A dentist who was previously convicted of defrauding the NHS has died in Australia, leaving behind a trail of financial chaos. Dr David Hurst, hailing from Wales, received a suspended sentence in 2012 after pleading guilty to 69 theft charges against the NHS. Cardiff Crown Court learned that he had nicked £15,584 by submitting fraudulent patient claims while working at Bridgend Dental Centre on Nolton Street. It has now been revealed that Dr Hurst took his own life last December at age 43, supposedly leaving behind his dental practice in Perth, Australia in financial turmoil, with 132 patients left untreated and "in limbo". Acting as the sole director of Perth Dental Rooms, it seems he appeared to have withdrawn "significant funds from the company in excess of profits earned", according to liquidator Bryan Hughes' statement to the Sunday Times. Allegations claim that Dr Hurst pocketed 2.3m Australian dollars (£1.12m) in patient prepayments, and unsecured creditors are apparently out of pocket to the tune of £1,676,578. The scandal has sparked debate over Dr Hurst's role at an Aussie dental clinic given his past conviction in the UK. Despite an NHS probe into the Bridgend scam kicking off in February 2007, it wasn't until late 2012 that he faced sentencing, reports Wales Online. The General Dental Council informed WalesOnline that Dr Hurst was hauled before a professional conduct committee in January 2014 and by the following month, he was struck off from practising dentistry in the UK. Dr Hurst is said to have resided in Australia from 2009 to 2012 before settling there permanently in 2013. Dental registration applicants Down Under must declare any criminal history, yet the nation's health watchdog clammed up to the Sunday Times about whether they were clued in on Dr Hurst's conviction at the time of his re-registration in 2013. "Dr Hurst was first registered in Australia in 2009 by Queensland authorities," a spokesperson for the Australian regulator disclosed. "He was re-registered by the dental board of Australia in 2013 when he returned to Australia from the United Kingdom. At the time Dr Hurst applied for registration he was still registered as a dentist in the UK." During the trial in Wales, it emerged that Dr Hurst had submitted a raft of bogus band three claims – the priciest bracket for NHS dental work – from June 2006 to February 2007. He coughed up the full £15,584 to the NHS and shelled out an additional £12,991 towards legal fees. He was handed a 10-month suspended sentence and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work after being found guilty of defrauding the NHS. Judge Nicholas Gareth Jones issued a stern warning, saying: "Milking the NHS will not be tolerated, particularly when NHS public funding is stretched." The Sunday Times reports Dr Hurst demanded payment in advance from all his Perth-based patients, with some shelling out thousands for implants and other costly treatments last year. Following the company's downfall, these individuals now face the prospect of paying again, amidst reports of enduring severe pain for months. Mr Hughes lamented the widespread impact of the debacle, stating: "There are just victims everywhere you look in this horrible mess," and highlighted the significant financial shortfall caused by the premature use of patient prepayments. Liquidators report that Dr Hurst withdrew £2m from the business over the last 18 months, while profits were recorded at £1.31m. The company's total debt is estimated at around £2.34m. Despite Mr Hughes' admission of being in the dark about the whereabouts of the funds, he suggested that a bankruptcy trustee might be able to track down the money. As the practice transitions to new ownership, there is hope for some recovery from the sale proceeds. However, as unsecured creditors, the fate of the patients' refunds remains uncertain, with the Sunday Times indicating that their chances of recouping any losses are unclear. Perth Dental Rooms released a heartfelt statement last December, saying: "It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of our beloved principal dentist and owner David Hurst. His unwavering dedication to our patients and the practice has left a lasting impact and he will be profoundly missed by all who knew him. "We want to assure our valued patients that Perth Dental Rooms will continue to operate and our commitment to providing exceptional dental care remains our highest priority. For those currently receiving treatment from Dr Hurst we will be reaching out to you directly to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of care. We kindly ask that you keep the Hurst family in your thoughts and prayers."
