British Columbia

B.C.'s 'bedroom dentist' remains in custody in Toronto

A B.C. man accused of setting up an illegal dental practice in the bedroom of a house near Vancouver made a brief appearance in a Toronto courtroom for a bail hearing on Monday morning.

Tung Sheng Wu turned himself in to police in Scarborough on Saturday

'Bedroom dentist' to return to B.C.

11 years ago
Duration 2:10
Tung Sheng (David) Wu turned himself in to police in Toronto

A B.C. man accused of setting up an illegal dental practice in the bedroom of a house near Vancouver made a brief appearance in a Toronto courtroom for a bail hearing on Monday morning.

Tung Sheng (David) Wu, 62, was sentenced to three months in jail for contempt for ignoring a court order to stop practising dentistry without a licence.

After B.C.'s College of Dental Surgeons was unable to locate him, a Canada-wide warrant was issued for his arrest in August. Then in a surprise move, Wu turned himself into police in Scarborough, On., on Saturday.

At his bail hearing on Monday morning in Toronto, Wu asked the judge that his picture not be taken when he returns to be B.C. It was not immediately clear what he meant by his request and who it was directed at.

The judge then ordered him remanded in custody until Friday.

Burnaby bedroom clinic shutdown

In May, the college and RCMP officers shut down one of Wu’s clinics, set up in a bedroom of his Burnaby home.

The raid found Wu was operating in dirty and disorganized conditions, and the college issued a public warning urging Wu's patients to be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Wu had been ordered by the court to stop practising dentistry without a licence back in 2003.

Jerome Marburg, CEO of B.C.'s College of Dental Surgeons, told CBC News on Sunday they hope to have Wu brought back to B.C. soon.

"We're obviously very gratified that he has [turned himself in] and that he's off the street. It's been a long haul," he said.

When asked what Wu might be facing upon his return, Marburg said the so-called "bedroom dentist" has much to answer for.

"He's facing some prison time. I would imagine there's quite a number of his former clients who have some hard questions for him that's he going to have to answer, and we also understand that the Canada Revenue Agency has some questions for him as well."