Man denies threatening to kill dentist over ‘slap amateur’ work

A 41-year-old man told gardaí that he really tries to hold onto his teeth and the work done by an Ennis dentist on a tooth was ‘slap amateur.’

In a series of garda interviews read out in court yesterday, Eoin Hannan said that he went to Dr Tony Cotgreave’s surgery in May 2012 to complain over what he called was a ‘botched job’ on his teeth after spending two and a half hours in a dental chair.

In a garda interview on May 11, Mr Hannan complained: “This tooth back there is all cement. I really do try to hold onto my teeth, it was slap amateur.”

Mr Hannan said that Dr Cotgreave “drilled my mouth” and didn’t him give enough of the local anaesthetic drug, lidocaine.

He said: “If you give a proper filling, you build it up and not just slap in some powder. He is not in the business of promoting good dental health.”

However, in the interviews read out to the jury on the second day of his trial, Mr Hannan of Kilrush Rd, Ennis, denied on a number of occasions that he threatened to kill Dr Cotgreave or burn down his premises.

In the garda interview, Mr Hannan said: “Let me say this: Number one, I didn’t threaten to burn his dental practice and Number two, I didn’t threaten to kill him; Number three, I have no intention of burning down his dental practice and Number four I have no intention of killing him.”

In the first day of the trial at Ennis Circuit Court, Dr Cotgreave told the jury he felt that his life was risk after stating that Mr Hannan told him: “I have a bullet for your head, do you understand?’

Dr Cotgreave had carried out in September 2011 emergency restoration work on Mr Hannan after he had broken a tooth on a chicken bone.

Mr Hannan denies threatening to kill Dr Cotgreave and causing criminal damage to his dental practice.

The trial continues today.