A HINDHEAD dentist pleaded guilty to cheating the NHS out of more than £222,000 over a six-year period, at Guildford Crown Court, on Monday.

Churt resident Mark Walewski committed the fraud between 2006 and 2012 by charging private patients at his New Dental Surgery, in Beacon Hill, for treatment and then billing the NHS for the same work.

Judge Stephen Climie warned Walewski he could go to jail., when he goes back to court for sentencing, on Thursday, February 4.

An anonymous tip-off to NHS Protect, the body founded to tackle crime across the health service, triggered an in-depth investigation led to Walewski being arrested in September 2012 by Surrey Police – and his home and surgery being raided.

Walewski was suspended for 18 months by the General Dental Council in December 2014, but the committee has yet to hold a hearing to decide if he is fit to practice.

NHS Protect which led the Surrey Police investigation said the scam could have involved 6,000 payment claims.

As well as double claiming, the dentist may have been submitting claims for a higher value treatment.

His fraud may have also included making several claims for a patient’s treatment which should have been submitted just once.

Investigators also found the dentist had made claims under the name of a newborn patient who was under a week old.

The admitted offences include two counts of obtaining money transferred by deception and two counts of fraud by abuse of position. Seventeen others fraud charges are to remain on file.

Walewski had a NHS contract worth almost £350,000 a year. When NHS Protect visited his £2million six-bedroom home with its own lake, they found an array of sports cars, including a red Ferrari (below) and a silver-and-yellow striped Lotus racing car.

NHS Protect will make every effort to recover the money taken following sentencing. A spokesman told The Herald: “We await the sentencing. Mr Walewski has pleaded guilty to a serious crime. We encourage anyone who suspects fraud against the NHS to report it to NHS Protect. Call 0800 028 4060 or at www.report nhsfraud.nhs.uk

“All reports of fraud against NHS will be looked into and investigated wherever appropriate. NHS Protect pushes for the prosecution of offenders and the highest penalties.”

Following Walewski’s court appearance this week, a number of patients contacted The Herald to express their disbelief.

“He was our family dentist for more than 30 years and always seemed like a decent man and a brilliant dentist,” said a Farnham resident, who wished to remain anonymous.

“I feel so sorry that his career should end like this regardless of what he has done. I am totally shocked.”