A DENTIST and his wife have been jailed after admitting a lucrative phantom patient scam which included passing off a dog as an NHS patient.

Dentist Newton Johnson, 52, and his wife Judith, 51, used the names of friends, relatives, neighbours and even the dead to boost their fictitious patient list and claim money.

The couple ran a successful dental practice in Llanelli, South Wales, but claimed tens of thousands of pounds for fictitious work done to patients who did not exist.

They spent the money indulging a taste for fine food, dining at the select Fairyhill Restaurant on the Gower Peninsular, and renovating their home, Swansea Crown Court heard yesterday.

Their lucrative scam was uncovered after a suspicious former colleague reported them to the NHS Counter Fraud Service.

Eventually the couple’s practice was raided by the police and proof of the scam uncovered.

Johnson was jailed at Swansea Crown Court for 21 months. His wife was jailed for 18 months.

The couple had strongly protested their innocence until the eve of the trial in March.

Johnson then admitted 20 charges of theft totalling £37,555. His wife, the practice manager, admitted 17 joint charges of theft totalling £32,357.