Doctor sliced off four-year-old boy's PENIS while performing circumcision when the child turned to his father to pose for a photo as the incision was being made

  • Algerian refugees in Geneva took their son to get circumcised in July 2014
  • As the doctor was making his incision, the boy's father started to take a photo
  • His son turned toward him, moving his pelvis as the doctor made his incision
  • The surgeon ended up severing the penis, causing it to fall to the floor
  • His penis was re-attached hours later, but the boy is still affected, his mum says
  • The doctor is facing a 240-day jail sentence and a 200-franc (£161.25) fine

By Kelly Mclaughlin For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A surgeon who cut off a four-year-old's penis while carrying out circumcision as the boy's father took photographs has been cleared of negligence, it has emerged (file photo)

The four-year-old son of Algerian refugees in Geneva had his penis cut off in July 2014, when a doctor made an incision as the boy turned to his father for a photo (file photo)

A four-year-old boy had his penis sliced off during a circumcision operation when he turned towards his dad to have his photo taken at the exact moment the doctor was making his incision.

The Swiss doctor who carried out the circumcision has been accused of causing serious bodily harm through negligence.

The incident happened in July 2014, when Algerian refugees in Geneva, who have not been publicly named, brought their son to the surgery to be circumcised.

In many religions, a circumcision ceremony is celebrated, which was the case with the young boy and his family, who are believed to be Muslim.

As the doctor was making his incision, the boy's father raised his hand to take a photo. His son turned toward him, moving his pelvis and causing the surgeon to slice off his penis, which fell to the floor.

The doctor did not have the correct size catheter to reattach the penis, The Local reported. 

He told the family to remain in the waiting room has he tried to find one, according to the prosecution.

The family stayed in the waiting room for four hours before being taken to Geneva University Hospital around midnight.

The boy's penis was finally re-attached, and three years after the procedure, he's finally doing better.

In the months after the surgery, the boy couldn't urinate normally, with the spray splitting 'into two or three' streams, his mother said, according to Le Matin.

She said that his penis is shape is 'satisfactory' but 'a bit dented', adding that he's suffered loss of 'substance' in the glands.

The boy has to wait until he's 18, however, to see if any further procedures on his reattached penis will be necessary.

The family was taken to Geneva University Hospital (pictured above in a file photo). The penis was finally reattached at the facility

The family stayed in the waiting room for four hours after the boy's penis was severed before being taken to Geneva University Hospital (pictured above in a file photo) around midnight. The penis was finally reattached at the hospital

Prosecutor Judith Lévy Owczarczak claims that the doctor wanted to cover up what he had done, and spent hours 'running around Geneva trying to find a catheter' instead of taking the boy to the hospital, according to Tribune de Geneve.

Defence lawyer Charles Joye, however, said that the doctor told the father to immediately take his son to the hospital.

Owczarczak also claimed that the doctor had not taken the proper steps to make sure the young boy wouldn't move during the operation.

Joye said the doctor wasn't at fault and couldn't be responsible for the 'unforeseeable act' of the father taking pictures during the operation.

At the time of the operation, the doctor had performed 700 circumcisions, and since the incident, the number has increased to 2,500.

Since the 2014 incident, the doctor has prohibited cameras from his operating room. 

The trial, in which Owczarczak seeks a guilty verdict and a sentence of 240 days in jail and a 200-franc (£161.25) fine, is ongoing.

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