Prosecutors demand 8 years for ‘butcher dentist who broke jaws and ripped teeth out’

A dentist nicknamed “the butcher” should receive an eight-year jail sentence after allegedly carrying out “useless” procedures on about 100 patients, a French prosecutor says. Jacobus van Nierop, 51, is accused of ripping out healthy teeth and leaving patients with injuries including broken jaws, recurrent abscesses and septicaemia. The Dutchman’s motive, say prosecutors, was to have his work reimbursed by his patients’ medical insurance schemes. The dentist has sought to deflect responsibility during the trial, saying he suffers from “psychological problems” including gender identity issues and suicidal tendencies.

We see nothing but greed, indifference to others, even pleasure at causing pain.

Prosecutor Lucile Jaillon-Bru

Van Nierop was initially welcomed by locals to the small central France town of Chateau-Chinon, which was lacking in medical services. A neighbour, giving evidence in court, said that when he arrived he seemed a larger-than-life character, with a “big 4x4, a big dog, a big cigar”. But questions about his practice began to be raised in 2011. One patient, Sylviane Boulesteix, 65, said she went to Van Nierop in March 2012 to have braces fitted. "He gave me seven or eight injections, and pulled out eight teeth in one go. I was gushing blood for three days,“ she said. Van Nierop was not required to enter a plea under the French judicial system.

Van Nierop