A former doctor, Mohammad Siddiqui, has recently admitted to causing what has been described as “painful cruelty to children” through a mobile circumcision service he operated around the UK. Aged 58 and from Birmingham, Siddiqui had previously practiced as a doctor at the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, where he worked in paediatric surgery. However, it has been revealed that he used his professional position to source the anaesthetic required for his private service, performing circumcisions that, according to authorities, often took place in unsafe and unsanitary environments. Despite having been suspended and ultimately removed from the General Medical Council (GMC) register by a medical tribunal, Siddiqui continued his circumcision service in various private homes, disregarding hygiene protocols and the welfare of his patients.
On Tuesday 29/10/2024, Siddiqui pled guilty to a total of 25 charges in Southwark Crown Court. The charges included 12 counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, five counts of cruelty to a person under 16, and eight counts related to the unlawful administration of a prescription-only medicine. The service he provided targeted young male patients, some as young as infants, and continued until November 2013. These procedures, known as non-therapeutic male circumcisions, were not performed for medical reasons, making them unregulated and not necessarily required to be carried out by a qualified medical practitioner.
Siddiqui’s career came under scrutiny in 2015 when a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel investigated complaints from families. The panel found significant failures in Siddiqui’s approach to circumcisions performed on four infants. These findings led to his removal from the GMC register, effectively ending his legal right to practice medicine. Despite this, Siddiqui proceeded to operate his mobile circumcision service, exploiting the fact that non-therapeutic male circumcisions are currently unregulated within the UK, allowing him to continue without the oversight typically required for medical procedures.
Authorities have since detailed the harmful consequences of Siddiqui’s actions, which left young patients with both physical and emotional scars. Anja Hohmeyer, representing the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), stated that Siddiqui’s circumcisions were conducted with complete disregard for safe medical practices, leading to prolonged pain and distress for the children involved. “Siddiqui practised these circumcising acts in an unsafe and unsanitary environment and so meted out painful cruelty to children, leaving them with emotional and physical scars,” Hohmeyer said. She added that Siddiqui had shown a blatant disregard for the impact his actions had on his young victims, as well as their families and communities, creating a far-reaching legacy of trauma.
The detective leading the investigation, Chief Superintendent Fiona Bitters of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, noted the long-awaited justice that Siddiqui’s guilty plea has brought to the victims and their families. Chief Superintendent Bitters expressed hope that this outcome would offer a measure of comfort to those affected, who have endured years of waiting for accountability in the case. Siddiqui’s sentencing has been scheduled for 14 January 2025, when the court will deliver his final punishment in light of the crimes he has admitted.
The case has highlighted both the risks associated with unregulated non-therapeutic circumcision practices in the UK and the necessity for clear guidelines surrounding such procedures. As the sentencing date approaches, Siddiqui’s admission of guilt has underscored the harm that can be inflicted in the absence of regulated standards for medical-like practices conducted by former professionals. Families affected by Siddiqui’s actions are expected to provide further impact statements, describing the long-lasting effects on the children subjected to his unregulated procedures.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Ankur Deka/MSM)