A London-based rabbi accused of travelling to Ireland to perform an illegal circumcision on a child has been refused bail.
Jonathan Abraham (47) was arrested on Tuesday and appeared before Judge Michael Connellan at Dublin District Court on Thursday charged with carrying out a surgical procedure, circumcision on a male child, at an address in Dublin 15 without being a registered medical practitioner.
Det Garda Megan Furey told the judge Mr Abraham made no reply when charged at Blanchardstown Garda station and there were objections to bail due to the seriousness of the case. The detective said the offence, contrary to the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, could result in a maximum fine of €130,000 and five years’ imprisonment.
She said gardaí entered a Dublin 15 property just after 1pm on Tuesday with the homeowners’ consent and observed the accused “dressed in a white robe, a doctor-style coat, with blue gloves and a scalpel in his hand”. The court heard there was a table in the middle of the room with a changing pad, scissors and other medical supplies and implements.
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She said gardaí “observed a very young child on the changing pad naked” and established that a circumcision had already been carried out on another child.
Det Garda Furey said a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and further charges are expected. She said there were “significant flight risk” fears given Mr Abraham, a father of 10, has no ties to this jurisdiction and is a man of means.
When cross-examined by defence solicitor Tertius Van Eeden, the detective agreed the penalties would be less severe if the DPP directed that the case stay in the District Court. He said it was too enthusiastic to suggest the case would go to a higher level, but Det Garda Fuery did not accept this.
The detective agreed that Mr Abraham had not held himself out to be a doctor and she accepted he was a rabbi.
The solicitor said Mr Abraham is a member of the Initiation Society, which governs practice or procedures of the Jewish faith, specifically circumcisions. Mr Van Eeden said his client is a registered mohel, the Hebrew word for someone qualified to perform circumcisions. The detective said she was aware of this and enquiries were being conducted.
Pleading for bail, Mr Van Eeden said his client is trained to perform circumcisions, had done so for more than 13 years and is insured to do so. Had Mr Abraham performed the same procedures in England, it would have been completely legal, Mr Van Eeden said. However, the judge pointed out that Ireland was a separate jurisdiction.
Judge Connellan refused bail and remanded the accused in custody pending directions from the DPP. He will appear at Cloverhill District Court on August 6th.
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