AN OPTICIAN struck off the medical register after he defrauded the NHS and told his staff to do the same is to find out if he can be re-instated next week.

Stephen Penrose, of Red Lees Road, Burnley, was sentenced to 200 hours community service and ordered to repay more than £5,000 to Bradford Health Authority when he appeared at Bradford Crown Court.

Mr Penrose, franchise owner of City Eyeware, formerly Crown Optical Centre in Bradford city centre, was struck off the General Optical Council in February last year.

Bradford Aubrey, for the GOC, told last year's disciplinary hearing that he had denied four counts of conspiracy to falsify documents right up until the last minute before changing his pleas before the trial began in July.

The health authority approached the police fraud squad about suspicions about his claim forms in relation to spectacles. As a result, the premises were searched, documents seized and Mr Penrose and his staff were arrested.

Mr Aubrey said: "He encouraged his staff to commit the frauds with him to ensure the business continued and their jobs were secure."

The trial judge told him it was a calculated and systematic fraud over an extensive period of time and he had known exactly what he was doing.

People on low incomes often came in and chose glasses over and above the voucher price and he wouldn't try to recover it because they were on insufficient means.

These transactions, therefore, resulted in a loss so he and his staff submitted exaggerated claims to the NHS.

Mr Penrose will seek re-instatement at a hearing of the GOC on Thursday, February 19.