Dutch 'horror dentist' can be extradited to France

A rogue Dutch dentist suspected of mutilating dozens of French patients can be extradited to France to stand trial, an Amsterdam court ruled on Friday.

Dubbed the "horror dentist" by the Dutch press, Mark van Nierop was detained in Canada last month and flown back to his native Netherlands where he was arrested under a Paris-issued international warrant.

"A judge has ruled that the Dutch dentist suspected of aggravated assault and fraud may be extradited to France," the Amsterdam regional court said in a statement.

Many of Van Nierop's 2,800 patients suffered disorders ranging from sepsis to broken jaws, according to a French victims' group.

Van Nierop, 50, has challenged the extradition, saying he suffered from "psychological problems" including gender identity issues and had suicidal tendencies which could only be treated in the Netherlands.

The Amsterdam court ruled that Van Nierop's extradition was subject to an assurance that he would receive the same psychiatric treatment and would be detained in a psychiatric care facility.

"Should he be convicted in France he may be able to serve his sentence in the Netherlands," the court added.

Dutch prosecutors are also probing his claim that he killed his second wife in 2006, two years before he was persuaded by an investor to move to the remote rural area of Chateau-Chinon in central France.