Friday was the final cap in the story about the former Burnaby dentist with an illegal practice on the run from the law.
On Nov. 22, after Tung Sheng (David) Wu turned himself in to the Toronto Police on Nov. 16, he finally stood before the Supreme Court judge who sentenced him in absentia last month.
At the Friday court date, Associate Chief Justice Austin Cullen wanted to ensure that Wu understood the former proceedings where he was found guilty of the charges that had stacked against him.
Wu had an injunction filed against him in 2003, preventing him from practising dentistry. He was found in contempt of court for disobeying the order and another injunction was issued against him. Wu will also have to serve a three-month jail sentence.
Evidence found by private investigators showed that Wu had full intentions to set up a dentistry practice again over the summer, when he was still on the run.
The initial investigation was sparked in May, when a patient lodged a complaint to the College of Dental Surgeons of B.C.
Last August, Wu was caught practicing dentistry in his Burnaby home. He eluded the authorities and had been on the run until turning himself in, in Ontario.
Wu had about 1,500 clients, and so far more than 450 people have come forward – identifying themselves as former patients.
Wu was delivered to North Fraser Pretrial Centre on Friday, which assigned him a correctional facility where he will serve his sentence.
“People like Mr. Wu are in business for personal gain only, purely for profit, and put their patients’ health at risk,” said Jerome Marburg, College of Dental Surgeons of B.C. CEO, in a statement. “They are neither qualified to practise, nor do they implement the infection control and other safety measures required to protect their patients.”
The dental college covered costs for the private investigation and court proceedings against Wu, which has cost more than $140,000.
