Man Circumcises 9 Underage Boys With Soldering Gun In Sweden, Gets Suspended Sentence

A man, who circumcised boys with a soldering gun while claiming to be a doctor, has walked away with a suspended sentence in Sweden.

The Syrian man was accused of circumcision of nine boys between April and May 2018 in the Swedish cities of Söderhamn and Gävle, reported Sputnik News.

The court acquitted him of assault on four occasions and causing bodily harm on five occasions. He also received a penalty of 180 hours of community service and a fine of $10,000 in damages as part of the sentence. The prosecutor had previously demanded two years of imprisonment.

The unidentified man in his 30s was not a licensed doctor in Sweden. He reportedly performed the circumcisions at the request of the boys' guardians with a non-medical soldering gun. The man charged approximately SEK 2,000 ($230) for his service.

The incidents came to light after a pharmacy staff alerted police when they suspected a crime due to the purchase of a large amount of topical anesthetic and wound gauze, RT News reported.

Medical journals described a couple of the boys were in so much pain that they had difficulty in walking after the botched circumcision, reported Sputniknews.

The court cited there was no established link between the inflammation caused and the procedures. The court also found it was not proven that the pain caused by the procedure was of such a nature to be classified as abuse.

The investigation indicated the families of the boys had approached the man via an ex-board member of a preschool who had previous links to extremist circles. It was reported a founder and a former employee of the school were scheduled for deportation, reported SVT.

The man claimed he received medical education in Syria and was authorized to perform circumcision. However, the doctors who treated the children after the excruciating procedures expressed their disbelief and described the procedure as careless circumcisions.

Since 2001, Swedish law has permitted male circumcisions to be performed by a qualified medical practitioner or a person who was licensed by the National Swedish Board of Health and Welfare, The Local reported.

The law permits the surgical removal of the foreskin of underage boys without a medical reason. According to the Circumcision Act in Sweden, the procedure may be performed only after getting the consent of the guardian, who has been made aware of how the surgery works, STV reported.

According to the Circumcision Act in Sweden, the surgery may be performed at the request of or with the consent of the boy's guardian, after they have been informed of what the procedure entails

The law states that only a person with special permit can perform circumcision of children below two months of age and the procedure needs to be under pain relief regardless of age.