Disgraced Shrewsbury dentist fails in High Court appeal after being struck off

One of the country's top judges, Mr Justice Turner, rejected Robin Pope's attack on the General Dental Council's decision to erase his name from its register, which he described as a "hostile exegesis".

On top of that the judge slammed Pope with a legal costs bill of over £8,000 in respect of his High Court bid to return to dentistry. Last year, the GTC's Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) upheld 20 out of a total of 31 allegations of dishonesty against Pope, who practised from a dental surgery on Monkmoor Road from 2006 onwards.

Dismissing Pope's appeal, the judge said today : "In particular, it was contended that he had repeatedly made dishonest claims for remuneration to which he well knew he was not entitled under his contract with the Primary Care Trust."

He added: "The PCC's findings of dishonesty were made in detailed and emphatic terms leaving no room for doubt. In reviewing their findings of misconduct the PCC described the appellant's acts of dishonesty as 'blatant'.

"Having given the appellant the benefit of the doubt in respect of 11 allegations of dishonesty, the PCC concluded: 'Where dishonesty was found, the Committee came to the clear conclusion that you knowingly and dishonestly made obviously inappropriate claims and that there was no ambiguity, doubt or error on your part.'

"The PCC in this case heard detailed evidence over a period of six days. Three members of the Committee were dentally qualified. Their analysis of the evidence was admirably thorough and survives Mr Pope's hostile exegesis intact. The appeal must, therefore, be dismissed." He ordered Pope to pay the GDC's legal costs of £8,017.