0:00:02 > 0:00:06In the UK, we're lucky to have things like transport networks,
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Legal Aid and free health care.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12I'd like to think my taxes went to the NHS, elderly people.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15A lot of people wouldn't have survived at all
0:00:15 > 0:00:17if it hadn't been for the NHS!
0:00:17 > 0:00:21These services are mostly paid for by us, the taxpayer,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24and on the whole, we don't mind.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27What happens when someone tries to steal from the system?
0:00:27 > 0:00:30It is a criminal offence.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34You've paid your taxes, you've paid your way and people are cheating the system.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35Ridiculous!
0:00:35 > 0:00:39With the economy as tough as it is, it's more important than ever
0:00:39 > 0:00:43that those who nick from the system don't get away with it
0:00:43 > 0:00:46and those who need help get it.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50This is the world of Saints & Scroungers.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'Caught trying to fiddle the system.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01'A pair of dentists pull a fast one over their patients and the NHS.'
0:01:01 > 0:01:06It affects everybody out there who is an NHS patient of any sort.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09This is our money and we need to stop it. It's our NHS.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13'Then we meet those who deserve the public's help.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17'We meet an autistic college leaver who's determined to better himself.'
0:01:17 > 0:01:20To be in the workplace is like a stepping stone,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23being more independent and taking more responsibility.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Nobody likes going to the dentist.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34It can be painful, a bit scary and very expensive.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38That's why the person who's putting a drill into your mouth
0:01:38 > 0:01:41needs to be completely trustworthy.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43< Mr Allwright!
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Here we go.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51'Meet 45-year-old Werner Muller and 64-year-old John Atkinson,
0:01:51 > 0:01:56'two experienced and successful dentists working in Leicestershire,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59'where they treated private and NHS patients.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03'So, why were both men suspended in 2013
0:02:03 > 0:02:06'after over 60 years of service between them?
0:02:07 > 0:02:11'Sue Frith at NHS Protect can shed some light on the relationship
0:02:11 > 0:02:15'between dentists and the National Health Service.'
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Explain to me how it works with the NHS and dentists.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25You don't have to be an NHS dentist to do dentistry work for the NHS.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28No, dentists have their own private practice often
0:02:28 > 0:02:32and they also can do work for the NHS, so there's a combination.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37They can just be NHS dentists, private dentists or a mixture of the two.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40What's the mechanism, then, by which they get paid?
0:02:40 > 0:02:45If they're working for the NHS, when you go to the dentist, you'll be given a document to sign
0:02:45 > 0:02:49that indicates that you've had NHS treatment and it will be reconciled.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53'Both Muller and Atkinson carried out NHS treatment
0:02:53 > 0:02:56'in the practice in Leicestershire.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00'The practice was run by a company called Incorporated Dental Holdings,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04'or IDH, who had a contract to carry out NHS work.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07'IDH provided Muller and Atkinson with the premises,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10'staff and technology they needed to run a business,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14'in return for a percentage of the dentists' incomes.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17'The National Health Service work proved to be lucrative.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21'Muller was on an annual £271,000 contract
0:03:21 > 0:03:25'and Atkinson was earning £135,000 a year.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30'But suspicions were raised at IDH in 2007.'
0:03:30 > 0:03:34IDH first realised that they might have a problem
0:03:34 > 0:03:38when they decided to introduce a new computer software package
0:03:38 > 0:03:42to deal with all the paperwork and patient records.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46They were rolling this out across their various practices.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50'In order to understand the new computer software,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54'the company gave all employees a two-day training course.'
0:03:54 > 0:03:59During the course of the training, Werner Muller and John Atkinson
0:03:59 > 0:04:04were talking quite openly about how they could circumvent the system
0:04:04 > 0:04:10and claim for NHS work whilst also claiming for private treatment.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15They were talking about opening two courses of treatment at the same time.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21'So, the chatterbox dentists were bragging about a potential loophole in the system
0:04:21 > 0:04:24'which would allow them to fraudulently profit.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28'But this light-hearted banter upset the IDH training staff.'
0:04:28 > 0:04:35They were so worried that they e-mailed senior members of the management team
0:04:35 > 0:04:37to say, "Look, this is what happened,"
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and followed it up with a report saying, "We are really worried."
0:04:40 > 0:04:45'Senior management and IDH took the trainers' concerns seriously
0:04:45 > 0:04:49'and decided to audit the practice that Muller and Atkinson worked from.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52'The results suggested some dodgy dealings,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56'so they handed the case over to NHS Protect fraud investigator,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58'Liz Wood.'
0:04:58 > 0:05:01The approach from IDH came from the very top.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05They thought that they had a problem and were extremely helpful.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08They provided us with lots of documentation.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13Many of the senior management team made statements and explained exactly what they had done.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17'So, Muller and Atkinson were under investigation
0:05:17 > 0:05:20'for stealing from the National Health Service,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23'an institution that provides free health care for the public.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27'Would trained professionals really scam our NHS?'
0:05:27 > 0:05:30The majority are honest hard-working dentists,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34but some dentists don't apply the rules the way they should do.
0:05:34 > 0:05:40If we have some information that indicates they're not applying the rules they should do,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43then we would investigate it further.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Would you say this is an area that is a particular concern,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51an area where NHS Protect identifies a lot of fraud taking place?
0:05:51 > 0:05:56There are lots of dentists and most of them use the system correctly.
0:05:56 > 0:06:02Others see it as a opportunity to both charge the patient then claim it back through the NHS,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06or persuade the patient they have to have something done privately,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10rather than fill in that form and do it through the NHS.
0:06:10 > 0:06:16'At this stage of the investigation, Liz Wood still had a lot to prove.'
0:06:16 > 0:06:19When we first get a case, we have to approach it with an open mind.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24We can't go in assuming that just because an allegation of fraud has been made,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27that somebody is automatically guilty.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29'So, the chase was on to determine
0:06:29 > 0:06:32'exactly what Muller and Atkinson had been up to.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36'Surely, they were mucking about during the training day
0:06:36 > 0:06:39'when they said they'd found a way to fiddle the system?'
0:06:39 > 0:06:43The first thing that we got when we were investigating
0:06:43 > 0:06:47was a list from IDH of all of the treatment.
0:06:47 > 0:06:53We could see that there were two courses of treatment open at the same time for the same patients.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55There would be a private course of treatment
0:06:55 > 0:06:59and an NHS course of treatment, and that really shouldn't happen.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04'Unbelievable! Muller and Atkinson weren't bantering on the training day.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07'They HAD discovered a loophole in the computer system
0:07:07 > 0:07:11'and it appeared they'd been exploiting it to the full.'
0:07:11 > 0:07:17If they put private patients through the system as NHS patients,
0:07:17 > 0:07:22that's the private patients that the NHS knows absolutely nothing about,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24if they put them through as NHS patients,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28they get credited with NHS work for private work.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31When we looked at the private course of treatment,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35frequently described as "other", so it wasn't quite so obvious
0:07:35 > 0:07:38to people at IDH what they were doing,
0:07:38 > 0:07:43we found it would be described as just one tooth in a denture
0:07:43 > 0:07:45or a colour on a crown.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50You bought an NHS crown and it has a private colour on it.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54You don't get a bridge with just one NHS bit to it.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58You get a bridge - a private bridge or an NHS bridge, not a bit of both.
0:07:58 > 0:08:03They made it sound like a patchwork blanket, not a dental treatment.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05'When Liz looked further into the scam,
0:08:05 > 0:08:10'it became apparent that patients were being swindled as well.'
0:08:10 > 0:08:12The patients fell into two different groups.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Some were convinced that they hadn't been able to have NHS work
0:08:16 > 0:08:20or had chosen deliberately to go for private treatment,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24and were convinced that what they had received was private treatment,
0:08:24 > 0:08:29even though some of them actually got a fairly basic crown or denture.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Others were convinced they were NHS.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36It didn't matter that they'd paid way over the NHS price.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40People believe the dentist when they say, "This is what you have to pay."
0:08:40 > 0:08:42'Outrageous!
0:08:42 > 0:08:44'As well as swindling the NHS,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47'the dentists were ripping off their patients, too.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52'It was time to start building the strongest case against Muller and Atkinson,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56'so the fraud team jumped on their computers.'
0:08:56 > 0:09:02A forensic image of a computer is a copy of what is actually stored on the computer.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04It covers everything.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08In this case, we copied the patient records.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13We copied the record of everything that had been sent to the NHS.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18We also copied all the financial records and appointment books,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21so we could see who had come in on what day at what time.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26We could see what they had paid. We could see absolutely everything.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31'And the next task was to link the information to Muller and Atkinson.'
0:09:31 > 0:09:34The forensic image in this case was really important
0:09:34 > 0:09:39because we could see that it was Werner Muller and John Atkinson
0:09:39 > 0:09:42putting the information onto the computer.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46They had their own individual log-ons and it was their log-on
0:09:46 > 0:09:52that was used to put in the private and the NHS course of treatment at the same time.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56'So, Liz and the team could link Muller and Atkinson
0:09:56 > 0:09:59'to the indiscretions being made on the IDH booking system.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04'We'll find out later if they grasped their opportunity to prosecute.'
0:10:07 > 0:10:12'Time to say goodbye to the scroungers trying to pinch from the public purse
0:10:12 > 0:10:14'and welcome those we call our saints -
0:10:14 > 0:10:17'people who work hard and dedicate their time
0:10:17 > 0:10:22'to ensuring that others in need of support and struggling to keep their lives on track
0:10:22 > 0:10:25'get all the help they're entitled to.'
0:10:27 > 0:10:31As a young person leaving school, looking for a career,
0:10:31 > 0:10:36the job market can be a tough and intimidating place.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38If you're a school-leaver with a disability,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41you can have even greater odds stacked against you.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46'20-year-old Christopher McGeady was determined to better himself,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50'despite suffering from Autistic Spectrum Disorder,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53'with which he was diagnosed at the age of five.'
0:10:53 > 0:10:58It's a mental learning disability which affects the way a person lives
0:10:58 > 0:11:04in terms of interaction and...a different way of lifestyle,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08compared to a normal average person.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12'Autism is a disability that can be misunderstood.'
0:11:12 > 0:11:17One of the key things is that autism is a hidden disability.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20People don't look any different from you and I,
0:11:20 > 0:11:25but they may really struggle in our complex social environment.
0:11:25 > 0:11:31Often that results in very high levels of anxiety and stress.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35'People with autism often have severe learning disabilities
0:11:35 > 0:11:37'and find interacting a challenge,
0:11:37 > 0:11:41'making fitting into mainstream society tough.'
0:11:41 > 0:11:47Only 15% of people on the autistic spectrum are in full-time employment.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52Which, I think, is a really... sad reflection
0:11:52 > 0:11:57when we know how many people want to get jobs
0:11:57 > 0:12:00and just what they can bring to the workplace.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04'Christopher lives at home with his family
0:12:04 > 0:12:07'and has been receiving Disability Living Allowance from an early age.'
0:12:07 > 0:12:12Developmental delay is one key factor of the disability.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17One of the things that I continuously need help with, even now,
0:12:17 > 0:12:23is to have more time to understand things and take things on board.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27'Christopher attended a mainstream school up to the age of ten,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30'but because of his learning difficulties, it was decided
0:12:30 > 0:12:35'that he would benefit from going to a school that specialised in supporting autistic children.'
0:12:35 > 0:12:38In the special school, it was relatively straightforward.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43It was done in a certain way that myself and the other pupils could learn and understand things.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48In the mainstream environment, it was quite hectic, in terms of the method of teaching.
0:12:48 > 0:12:54'Even though Christopher found mainstream education hard because of his autism,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58'he still wanted to get some qualifications when he reached his mid teens.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02'The autistic school couldn't teach him maths at GCSE level,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06'so he started attending secondary school on a part-time basis
0:13:06 > 0:13:09'and had to mix with other teenagers.'
0:13:09 > 0:13:11It was quite nervous, quite daunting.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15I was determined to do really well in my studies.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19'Christopher sat his maths GCSE exam when he was 16 years old
0:13:19 > 0:13:22'and he achieved a grade C.'
0:13:22 > 0:13:25I felt very proud after completing my maths GCSE.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29My teacher suggested that I do English at GCSE level,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32as that is also very important.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34'Regardless of his learning disabilities,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37'Christopher buckled down and studied for an English GCSE,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41'which he went on to pass at his local college.'
0:13:41 > 0:13:45There was one of the lessons where we had to search for opportunities.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50Having broadened my interest in railways when I was at school with my friends,
0:13:50 > 0:13:55I wanted to consider a lifelong career in the railway industry.
0:13:55 > 0:14:01'Having grown up in London, Christopher was interested in the Underground network,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04'so he visited Transport For London's website.'
0:14:04 > 0:14:07There was an article about the London Underground
0:14:07 > 0:14:10providing a work experience scheme
0:14:10 > 0:14:12for people with learning disabilities.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16'The Steps Into Work scheme was a multi-agency partnership.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20'Although it didn't pay a wage, the year-long process combined
0:14:20 > 0:14:22'work experience from Transport For London,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26'tutorials relating to the transport industry from the sixth form college
0:14:26 > 0:14:29'and the expertise of a charity called Remploy,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32'who prepare people with disabilities for work.'
0:14:32 > 0:14:34The typical barriers
0:14:34 > 0:14:38that the candidates coming through to Remploy might have
0:14:38 > 0:14:40are lacking confidence.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43They might have no work experience,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45so they don't know anything about employability.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49We would teach them things around employability skills, how to look for work.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53A lot of them might not have the social skills to be able to communicate,
0:14:53 > 0:14:58so we would teach them how to be within a group environment.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03'Christopher, who was 17, was determined to apply for the scheme
0:15:03 > 0:15:07'that would give him a taste of working in the transport industry.'
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Having attempted to apply, I discovered that I was too young
0:15:11 > 0:15:13at the time to do it.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15I had to wait one more year before I could reapply.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18'Not one to rest on his laurels,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22'Christopher then gained a BTEC in applied sciences,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25'but just before he turned 18, he reapplied for the scheme.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28I had a phone call from the Remploy worker
0:15:28 > 0:15:31to say that I'd been offered a place on the Steps Into Work scheme.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34I was very happy that I got it afterwards.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38'There was a time when Christopher could barely socialise.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42'The scheme was helping him to manage his autism because on the second placement,
0:15:42 > 0:15:47'he was having to deal with busy commuters on a daily basis.'
0:15:47 > 0:15:52I think there are real challenges in mainstream workplaces
0:15:52 > 0:15:54for people on the autistic spectrum.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59Some of the difficulties that people have in social interaction
0:15:59 > 0:16:03and in communication may put barriers in the way.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08'Christopher faced similar problems when the course started.'
0:16:08 > 0:16:12At first, when Christopher joined us, he was lacking confidence
0:16:12 > 0:16:15and struggled to interact within the group environment.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20One of the things we did at first was to put him into more of an administrative role
0:16:20 > 0:16:22where it wasn't too customer-facing,
0:16:22 > 0:16:27he was able to work with other staff and develop those skills.
0:16:27 > 0:16:33We realised that there was a vast improvement in his confidence,
0:16:33 > 0:16:38so then we put him forward for a placement as a customer service assistant.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42It really did make me feel like a different person altogether.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46To be in the workplace is kind of like a stepping stone,
0:16:46 > 0:16:53in terms of being more independent and taking more responsibility.
0:16:53 > 0:17:00'Towards the end of the year, candidates were encouraged to think about life after the scheme.'
0:17:00 > 0:17:02I wanted to gain a lot of independence
0:17:02 > 0:17:06and be just like a normal adult would be.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09The Steps Into Work staff found the information
0:17:09 > 0:17:12about the First Great Western apprenticeship scheme.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15As soon as I heard about it, I took immediate interest.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19'First Great Western are one of the UK's largest train operators.
0:17:19 > 0:17:25'Adrian Barrell works as a mentor to apprentices who join the company.'
0:17:25 > 0:17:30Every 18 months, we take on a group of young people between 16 to 18.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34They get a varied insight of the rail industry.
0:17:34 > 0:17:40They do various job tasks so they get experience of different sides
0:17:40 > 0:17:42and hopefully come out with a job.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46'With the Steps Into Work scheme on his CV,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49'Christopher applied for the apprenticeship.'
0:17:49 > 0:17:52A few weeks later, I got a letter from First Great Western
0:17:52 > 0:17:55to say that my application was successful
0:17:55 > 0:18:00and that they were going to invite me to attend an assessment day
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and interview at Paddington Station.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07'Christopher was now going for a mainstream apprenticeship open to everybody.'
0:18:07 > 0:18:13I felt it was a really big step forward to take.
0:18:13 > 0:18:19A lot of people with disabilities probably wouldn't be able to cope with an apprenticeship scheme
0:18:19 > 0:18:23because it involves a lot of expectations and responsibilities.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28'Christopher's autism made interview situations daunting and difficult,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32'but thankfully, the charity was on hand to give him help.'
0:18:32 > 0:18:37We managed to get some other advisors to come and do a mock assessment with him
0:18:37 > 0:18:43and have him in the room and doing the interview as it would be with First Great Western.
0:18:43 > 0:18:49Just so he had that experience of meeting somebody he doesn't know
0:18:49 > 0:18:51and having to sell himself and his skills.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55'Having prepared for the interview and armed with a stronger CV,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59'Christopher completed his assessment day at Paddington.'
0:18:59 > 0:19:03They said that they would let me know later on in the day
0:19:03 > 0:19:08and I had my phone with me for the whole time.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12I was determined to wait for that phone call.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14It was a very tense moment.
0:19:14 > 0:19:21'He had a long wait - five hours before getting the call from the assessment coordinator.'
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Hello?
0:19:23 > 0:19:26'She told me that I did very well in the assessment'
0:19:26 > 0:19:29and they would like to offer me the apprenticeship.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I was very pleased and I said, "Yes, deal me in."
0:19:32 > 0:19:39It was mostly his passion and his drive to want to work in that sector
0:19:39 > 0:19:43and want to work for the company that is what sold it the most.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47They didn't care about his disability and any of that.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50They were just really blown away with him as a person.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Christopher's hard work had paid off.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56With the programme's help, he got himself an 18-month apprenticeship.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59It was a fantastic result for Christopher
0:19:59 > 0:20:02and great news for his family.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05'So, what might the future hold for Christopher?'
0:20:05 > 0:20:10There's no limit as to where he can go from now. He's got that foot in the door.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14He has now got the skills to be able to take it as far as he wants to go.
0:20:14 > 0:20:20'Not only is Christopher working and earning in an industry he's always dreamt of,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23'he's also much more socially interactive and confident.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27I am very grateful that the Steps Into Work staff
0:20:27 > 0:20:32have put a lot of effort to help me get to where I am now.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35I believe I've found my place in life.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40I would certainly consider staying within the railway long term.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46So, not only is Christopher well on his way to a career,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50he's also studying at the same time. There's no holding him back.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59'Time now to revisit the very small number of scroungers
0:20:59 > 0:21:02'who are stealing from the public purse.
0:21:03 > 0:21:08'NHS Protect fraud investigator Liz Wood is pursuing...
0:21:09 > 0:21:12'These dentists worked at a practice in Leicestershire,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15'where they found a loophole in the system
0:21:15 > 0:21:20'allowing them to combine private and NHS jobs to make more money.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25'On top of this, they were suspected of conning their patients, too.'
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Patients were told
0:21:28 > 0:21:32that they needed private work, that the work that they needed
0:21:32 > 0:21:34was not available on the NHS.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36That was a lie.
0:21:36 > 0:21:42Other patients were told that the work they were having was being provided by the NHS,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46but that it was going to cost way more than the NHS fee.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48And they believed their dentist.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53'Liz and her team had strong evidence implicating both dentists of fraud.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58'New information came in to suggest that time was of the essence.'
0:21:58 > 0:22:04We had to move very quickly in the case of Werner Muller,
0:22:04 > 0:22:10because we discovered that he was about to move back to South Africa - he is South African by birth.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15'The team quickly turned around a raid of Muller's home, arrested him
0:22:15 > 0:22:17'and confiscated his passport.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19'More documents were seized and they found copies
0:22:19 > 0:22:22'of NHS policy on dentistry contracts,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25'which Muller had been studying.'
0:22:25 > 0:22:28He had all this paperwork that he'd been through,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31he'd underlined it, he highlighted things.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36He'd been through every inch of every bit of paper published
0:22:36 > 0:22:38about the contract.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42That was really significant because we could prove that he could not say
0:22:42 > 0:22:46he didn't know what he was doing, that it was a big mistake.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50'It was enough evidence to bring in Muller for an interview.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53'He'd claimed he'd misunderstood the NHS contract
0:22:53 > 0:22:56'and thought what he was doing was OK.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59'Throughout the interview, he stressed his innocence in English.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02'The team planned to question him six months later
0:23:02 > 0:23:05'in April 2008, when his bail came to an end.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08'This time he wanted help in being understood.'
0:23:08 > 0:23:11He suddenly said that he needed an Afrikaans interpreter.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15There are only two Afrikaans interpreters in the country,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19so it took us for ever to arrange the second interview properly.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22I think he asked for the Afrikaans interpreter
0:23:22 > 0:23:27because he regretted some of the things he told us during the first interview.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31Also, having an interpreter can slow things down.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35'Meanwhile, Atkinson also claimed his innocence
0:23:35 > 0:23:38'and said he had no idea he'd been breaking a law.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42'He was invited to a police station, where he was arrested.'
0:23:42 > 0:23:46We were told that John Atkinson had been the person
0:23:46 > 0:23:49behind the original scam by Werner Muller,
0:23:49 > 0:23:54that it was him that dreamt up the two courses of treatment lark.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57'Regardless of whose idea it was,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00'both Muller and Atkinson were charged with fraud.'
0:24:00 > 0:24:03The difference between John Atkinson and Werner Muller
0:24:03 > 0:24:07was that John Atkinson genuinely cared about doing a good job.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11He did provide high-quality restorations.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16He may have been ripping off the NHS, but he did do good dentistry.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Whereas Werner Muller really didn't care that much
0:24:19 > 0:24:23and was quite happy to charge an awful lot of money
0:24:23 > 0:24:25for something that was quite cheap.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29'Both men were bailed and while the court date was scheduled,
0:24:29 > 0:24:34'NHS Protect began accounting for every piece of dodgy dentistry.'
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Dental fraud's a bit odd in that you get lots of small amounts of money.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42The fraud in each individual patient's case might be only £60.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47What we have to do at court is roll it up into one huge charge,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51add all these things together to get the actual loss to the NHS,
0:24:51 > 0:24:56which could well run into thousands and thousands of pounds.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00'That was exactly the case with Muller and Atkinson.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04'The team calculated that over a one and a half year period,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07'Werner Muller fraudulently claimed he'd completed
0:25:07 > 0:25:11'just over £26,000 worth of NHS dental work that he hadn't.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14'And John Atkinson,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18'well, he stole almost 21,000 from the National Health Service.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21'At Leicester Crown Court in June 2012,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24'both men pleaded not guilty to...
0:25:31 > 0:25:33'But what would the jury say?'
0:25:34 > 0:25:38In court, they were found guilty, both of them, of all charges.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Which was deeply satisfying!
0:25:41 > 0:25:44'On 9 August 2012,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47'the dentists found out their punishment.'
0:25:47 > 0:25:49They were both sentenced to...
0:25:52 > 0:25:57Although the sentence is suspended, it is regarded as a term of imprisonment for legal purposes.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00They were sentenced to one year's imprisonment.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04'It was a big win for the NHS Protect team.'
0:26:04 > 0:26:08You got a conviction and there's a sentence. Are you happy with that?
0:26:08 > 0:26:12I'm really pleased that the work the investigators did was so good
0:26:12 > 0:26:16that they were able to get that to a court, present it to a jury
0:26:16 > 0:26:20and get that point home that these people had defrauded the NHS.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23It's tough because it's a complicated case,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26but they did an excellent job and the people were found guilty.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33'The fraud investigators still felt the job wasn't over.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36'They take their duty very seriously.'
0:26:36 > 0:26:40It's important to stop this and NHS Protect is there to do that,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44because this is stuff that affects real people.
0:26:44 > 0:26:50It affects ME and it affects everybody out there who's an NHS patient of any sort.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54This is our money and we need to stop it. It's our NHS.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58'The team took action and applied for a confiscation order
0:26:58 > 0:27:01'through the Proceeds Of Crime Act.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06'NHS Protect's goal was to claw back some of Muller and Atkinson's crime-tainted cash
0:27:06 > 0:27:09'and inject it back into the National Health Service.'
0:27:09 > 0:27:12In terms of the money that they took,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15we have managed to get confiscation orders.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18On 3 May 2013,
0:27:18 > 0:27:24Werner Muller was ordered to repay just over £26,000 within six months
0:27:24 > 0:27:28or face a 12-month prison sentence.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Werner Muller, unfortunately, has skipped off to South Africa,
0:27:32 > 0:27:34taking his substantial assets.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39Although we're trying to get the money back, we're not 100% certain we're going to be successful.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42'How did things work out for his accomplice?'
0:27:42 > 0:27:45John Atkinson was actually bankrupt.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48He has been bankrupted twice and he doesn't have anything.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52We got a £1 confiscation order against him, which I understand has been paid.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56'What about Muller and Atkinson as professionals?
0:27:56 > 0:27:59'Will they be putting on their masks and white coats any time soon?'
0:27:59 > 0:28:03Neither of the two men can practise as a dentist in this country.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Not private, not NHS.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11For Muller and Atkinson, it was good while it lasted,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14but for the pair of dodgy dentists, they discovered
0:28:14 > 0:28:17if you put profits before patients,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20the NHS will want to bite back.