Father and son jailed for selling tooth-whitening kits
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- Published: Tuesday, 20 September 2016 07:57
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A father and son, John and Matthew Hargreaves, have been jailed for selling unsafe DIY teeth-whitening kits that left some users with bleeding gums from chemical burns. They were alleged to have made more than £3 million from the sales. They were jailed for 18 months at Merthyr Crown Court in South Wales.
Matthew Hargreaves and his father, John, were each jailed for 18 months. John Hargreaves’ wife, Jean, 71, who was also involved in running the business, was jailed for six months but her sentence was suspended for two years. Merthyr crown court in south Wales was told that their products contained dangerously high levels of hydrogen peroxide.
Advertisements claimed the product was “ideal for any age group” and was “used by leading dentists throughout the UK and Europe”. Police officers bought a sample of the product and were shocked to find it contained up to 110 times the allowable level of hydrogen peroxide. They issued a public warning that DIY kits which breached safety laws could aggravate gum disease or even cause chemical burns to the mouth.
The police investigation, which cost more than £800,000, spread across the UK, with officers speaking to dozens of people who had used the product. Matthew and John Hargreaves admitted fraud. Jean Hargreaves admitted engaging in unfair commercial practice. Mark Wyeth QC, prosecuting, said: “Their activities caused serious harm to unwitting members of the public. It involved the sale of unsafe and dangerous teeth-whitening products across the British Isles and Republic of Ireland. They ran a thoroughly dishonest and dangerous business placing members of the public in serious harm for a period of eight years.”
Judge Philip Harris-Jenkins told the defendants they had shown blatant disregard for public safety in order to make a huge profit. “You placed personal greed before greater public safety.”
Katie Spears, of the General Dental Council, said: “The GDC continue to work hard to proactively spread the message that tooth whitening is the practice of dentistry and that only registered dental professionals can legally and safely provide such treatment. We are particularly proud of the collaborative approach taken here with Powys trading standards to promote patient safety and will continue to work with trading standards and other stakeholders to guard against the promotion of potentially dangerous illegal tooth-whitening practices.”
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