Latest news with #MohammedAlazawi
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Fraudster who carried out illegal circumcisions jailed
Mohammed Alazawi has been jailed for nine years for impersonating a doctor and performing unsafe and illegal circumcisions on infants and older boys. Alazawi was convicted of 40 offences, including multiple counts of fraud, wounding with intent, and assault, after admitting 20 charges and being found guilty of a further 20. Between October 2016 and January 2022, he carried out non-therapeutic male circumcisions using inherently unsafe and unsanitary methods, despite the procedure being unregulated in the UK. He posed as a doctor, presenting bogus documents from a Jordanian hospital, and notably performed a circumcision on a two-week-old baby on a coffee table. The seven-year investigation by West Midlands Police, prompted by victims suffering complications like infections, involved families from across the UK and as far as Canada.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Fake doctor jailed for carrying out unsafe and illegal circumcisions
A man has been jailed for nine years after a court found he had been impersonating a doctor to carry out unsafe and illegal circumcisions on infants and older boys. Mohammed Alazawi, 54, was convicted of 40 offences, including multiple counts of fraud, wounding with intent, administering and supplying prescription-only medicines, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday. He admitted 20 charges and was found guilty of a further 20 following a trial. Between October 2016 and January 2022, Alazawi performed non-therapeutic male circumcisions, a procedure in the UK that is unregulated and does not legally require a qualified medical practitioner. But the court heard that his methods were inherently unsafe and dangerous, transforming what should have been routine, sanitary procedures into unlawful assaults. In sentencing, the judge described his actions as a profound breach of trust and a serious threat to public safety. Posing as a doctor, Alazawi secured parental consent for these operations. The court heard how he would present to parents a bogus document attributed to Istiklal Hospital in Jordan that stated he was trained in circumcision. He explained to police after his arrest that he was a 'circumcision expert and a taxi driver'. Among the operations he performed was the circumcision of a two-week-old baby on a coffee table. Speaking after the verdicts in May, Judge Perrins said that the law around male circumcision should be changed because it 'remains almost entirely unregulated'. Anja Hohmeyer, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said Alazawi had carried out circumcisions in 'unsafe, unsanitary and harmful ways', which demonstrated 'a blatant disregard for the safety of his young patients and the impact of his actions on his victims, their families, and communities'. Detective Inspector Neil Hunt from West Midlands Police 's public protection unit, who led the investigation into Alazawi spanning seven years, said: 'Some of his young victims went on to have complications following the procedures, like infections, and it was after one such incident in Birmingham that we were alerted and began an investigation. 'These complex enquiries went on to find many victims from across the UK. 'It has been the bravery and support of these families, some from as far away as Canada, in supporting our investigation which has seen this perpetrator jailed today.'
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Fake doctor jailed for illegal circumcisions
A fake medic who carried out a number of unsafe and illegal circumcisions across the UK, including the West Midlands, has been jailed for nine years. Mohammed Alazawi, 54, of Hampton Road, Ilford, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday. He had admitted 20 charges, but was found guilty of 20 further charges included multiple counts of fraud, wounding with intent, administering and supplying prescription only medicines, and assault occasioning actual bodily carried out the non-therapeutic male circumcisions between October 2016 and January 2022 on baby boys and older male children. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the defendant was able to carry out these procedures because non-therapeutic male circumcision is is no requirement for the procedure to be carried out by a medical practitioner, but Alazawi told parents he was a doctor before they consented to the circumcisions. 'Unsafe, unsanitary and harmful' "The circumcisions carried out in this case were unlawful because of the manner in which the defendant carried them out," A CPS spokesperson said. "This changed them from an ordinary circumcision, which would be safe and sanitary, to a procedure which was inherently unsafe or dangerous and therefore unlawful."Anja Hohmeyer, from the CPS, said Alazawi had carried out circumcisions in "unsafe, unsanitary and harmful ways", which demonstrated "a blatant disregard for the safety of his young patients and the impact of his actions on his victims, their families, and communities".Det Insp Neil Hunt from West Midlands Police's public protection unit led the investigation into Alazawi, which spanned seven said: "Some of his young victims went on to have complications following the procedures, like infections, and it was after one such incident in Birmingham that we were alerted and began an investigation."These complex enquiries went on to find many victims from across the UK. "It has been the bravery and support of these families, some from as far away as Canada, in supporting our investigation which has seen this perpetrator jailed today." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Telegraph
Fake doctor performed £40 circumcisions after advertising in mosques
A fake doctor carried out circumcisions after advertising his budget services in mosques, a court has heard. Mohammed Alazawi, 54, is believed to have performed dozens of 'unsafe and unsanitary' procedures between 2016 and 2022, including circumcising a two-week old baby on a coffee table. He gave anaesthetic jabs to his victims, despite not having any qualifications. Alazawi used a bogus document attributed to Istiklal Hospital in Jordan that stated he was trained in circumcision, Southwark Crown Court heard. He explained to police after his arrest that he was a 'circumcision expert and a taxi driver'. Detectives believe that there were many more victims of Alazawi who have not come forward. Speaking after the verdicts, Judge Perrins said that the law around male circumcision should be changed because it 'remains almost entirely unregulated'. Leaflet in mosque During the trial, jurors heard evidence from a father whose baby was circumcised by Alazawi in February 2017. He said that he had contacted the defendant after he saw a leaflet in Woolwich Mosque, south-east London and invited him to carry out the procedure at his home. When he arrived, Alazawi told the father – who believed he was a qualified medical professional – that he was ''going to clean the area and that it would be done Islamically.' He then carried out the circumcision on a coffee table for a fee of £40, the court heard. Asked by prosecutors if he would have allowed Alazawi to circumcise his child had he known he was not qualified, the father said: 'No. I was thinking he was qualified. The advert was left in the mosque, that gives me trust.' Fraud and assault convictions Alazawi was convicted of six counts of fraud and six counts of wounding with intent by a jury. He was also found guilty of three counts of supplying a prescription only medicine, three counts of supplying a pharmacy medicine and one assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Alazawi earlier admitted 15 counts of parental administration of a prescription only medicine, three counts of supplying a prescription only medicine and two counts of supplying a pharmacy medicine. He will return for sentence on June 26. Anja Hohmeyer from the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Alazawi pretended to be a medical practitioner to unsuspecting families and carried out circumcisions in unsafe, unsanitary and harmful ways, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the safety of his young patients and the impact of his actions on his victims, their families, and communities. 'We hope that this conviction offers them some comfort in seeing Alazawi being brought to justice.'
