21 September 2012

No Charge For Doctors Arrested Following Sunday Times Story

Two doctors arrested following a Sunday Times story, which claimed they were offering to carry out female genital mutilation, have been released from police bail without charge.

Dentist Dr Omar Sheikh Mohammed Addow and GP Dr Ali Mao-Aweys, both from Birmingham, were arrested in May this year on suspicion of offences contrary to the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003.

But the Crown Prosecution Service expressed doubts over evidence obtained by the paper, deciding that there were inconsistencies in statements made by a reporter (or agent) and that she "consistently failed" to sign off her statement to the police.

The undercover investigation was bylined Mazher Mahmood, the former News of the World reporter known as the Fake Sheikh, and Eleanor Mills.

The two men were arrested two weeks after the Sunday Times published an investigation, headlined “I can circumcise them here: £750 for the first daughter”.

The Mahmood-Mills story told how the two men, when approached by a reporter posing as the aunt of two girls, aged 10 and 13, agreed to perform genital mutilation (FGM).

West Midlands Police investigated the case and then passed their evidence to the CPS for review.

Harry Ireland, chief crown prosecutor for the West Midlands, said: "Having carefully reviewed the evidence obtained by the police, I have decided there should be no further action against either of these two men... There is insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.

"The main evidence in this case is from the undercover journalist... but she has consistently failed to sign her draft statement for the police despite being given every opportunity to do so over the past five months.

"I also have concerns over discrepancies between her draft statement and the evidence from the covert recordings. For example, at one stage, the covert recordings record the doctors refusing to help the woman with her request.

"I am also troubled by the fact that the covert recordings disclose a time gap which is insufficiently accounted for when the undercover journalist or agent apparently went with one of the doctors from the surgery to his home.

"Unless there is a very compelling explanation for this, the covert evidence is very unlikely to be admissible in evidence. That explanation has not been forthcoming."

The CPS added that a search of the suspects' homes, computers and phones failed to provide any evidence that they were involved in FGM.

A Sunday Times spokesperson said: "The intention of this investigation was to highlight the alarming practice of female genital mutilation.

"The article was not accusing the doctors of committing a crime, but of being willing to consider aiding FGM. We stand by our investigation and contest the statement made by the CPS."

(H)