'Dentist of horror' on trial for mutilating French patients

A Dutchman dubbed the "dentist of horror" by French media went on trial today after allegedly causing horrific injuries to the mouths of more than 100 patients in France.
Jacobus van Nierop, 51, ripped out healthy teeth and left dozens of patients in the rural central village of Chateau-Chinon with broken jaws, recurrent abscesses and septicaemia.
He is charged with aggravated assault, as well as fraud over claims that he tried to rip off patients and insurance companies, and faces up to 10 years in prison and a 150,000-euro fine if found guilty.
Although he is not required to offer a plea under French law, Van Nierop has previously sought to deflect responsibility, saying he suffers from "psychological problems" including gender identity issues and suicidal tendencies.

The court in Nevers, in central France, heard conflicting evidence about Van Nierop's psychological state.
One psychiatrist found he had "narcissistic tendencies" and had therefore been unable to make a moral judgement of his own actions.

But another found that the Dutchman was "perfectly aware of what he was doing", according to statements read to the court.
Van Nierop himself told the court: "I was not in the right state to put myself in my patients' position."
Van Nierop, who went by the first name of Mark, was hired by a head-hunter and was initially welcomed by locals in the area which was sorely lacking in medical services.

A neighbour recalled the arrival of a smiley, larger-than-life character, with a "big 4x4, a big dog, a big cigar".
But by 2011, the authorities were starting to question some of his accounting practices, and patients were starting to compare notes on his dentistry.
Sylviane Boulesteix, 65, visited 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.