Alleged imposter West Auckland dentist unmasked after years of practice

A man accused of operating for years as an unregistered, unqualified dentist in West Auckland has lost his bid to keep his name under wraps.

He is Narayan Prasad, who worked out of the since-closed Hill Park Henderson dental clinic on Great North Rd.

Prasad is also accused of forging prescriptions and faces rare Radiation Safety Act charges of operating an X-ray machine without a licence. He entered not guilty pleas to all 77 charges and is headed to trial.

The Ministry of Health laid the charges last year.

The Ministry claims he repeatedly misrepresented himself as a dentist to patients, performing procedures only a dentist is allowed to perform. He also allegedly illegally issued prescriptions and performed X-Rays, over a four-year period from 2018.

Prasad’s lawyer, Krishneel Prasad, sought and was granted interim name suppression for his client.

He was granted bail with conditions to remain at his home address in Manurewa and not to claim to be a dentist.

Last week, Prasad appeared in the Waitākere District Court where his lawyer argued interim name suppression should continue.

The threshold is low for name suppression at first appearances in court as the accused only has to prove they have an arguable case.

At subsequent appearances, it becomes harder to maintain suppression as a defendant must generally prove extreme hardship could result from publication, or rely on other grounds such as proving there is a risk to their safety or fair trial rights.

Following the hearing, Judge Lisa Tremewan declined Prasad’s application for continuing name suppression.

But Judge Tremewan suppressed the submissions and evidence from Prasad’s lawyer in support of ongoing suppression.

The  premises upstairs in downtown Henderson where alleged imposter dentist Narayan Prasad practised for several years. He is heading to trial on dozens of charges. The clinic is now a tattoo studio. Photo / Jason Dorday

Meredith Connell prosecutor Hannah Reid, acting for the Ministry of Health, opposed continuing suppression, as did Herald publisher NZME.

The West Auckland clinic where Prasad operated was in Great North Rd in downtown Henderson.

It is now a tattoo studio.

Staff at the Thai massage and spa next door said they had not seen him for a couple of years.

The former clinic still bears the signage of Hill Park Dental.

There were formerly a series of clinics around Auckland under the Hill Park name but the only one that remains is the Manurewa practice, now under new ownership and with no links to Prasad, a current manager said.

Court documents show Prasad faces 26 representative charges of claiming to be a practising health practitioner.

He faces a further 25 charges of performing a restricted activity, namely dental procedures, without being a health practitioner permitted to perform that activity, each carrying a maximum penalty of a $30,000 fine.

Prasad also denies 13 charges of forgery related to prescriptions he allegedly issued. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment if convicted of forgery.

The final 13 charges relate to the accusation he used a radiation source — an X-ray machine — without a licence.

Under the Radiation Safety Act, he faces a maximum fine of $100,000 if convicted.

His next court appearance is on March 27 for a case review.

George Block is an Auckland-based reporter with a focus on police, the courts, prisons and defence. He joined the Herald in 2022 and has previously worked at Stuff in Auckland and the Otago Daily Times in Dunedin.