A London-based rabbi accused of travelling to Ireland to perform an illegal circumcision on a young child has been refused bail.
Jonathan Abraham, 47, was arrested in Dublin on Tuesday and is charged with carrying out a surgical procedure, male circumcision on a child, without being a registered medical practitioner at an address in Dublin 15.
The father-of-10 appeared before Judge Michael Connellan at Dublin District Court on Thursday.
Detective Garda Megan Furey told the judge that Mr Abraham "made no reply" when charged at Blanchardstown Garda station.
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.
Detective Garda Furey said there was strong evidence in support of the charge. Gardaí entered an address in Dublin 15 just after 1 pm on Tuesday with the homeowners' consent.
According to the detective, they observed the accused "dressed in a white robe, a doctor's-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.
"Gardaí at this time also observed a very young child on the changing pad naked," she said, adding that they established that a circumcision procedure had already been carried out on another child at the premises.
The detective told the court that a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and "it's envisaged that there will be multiple further charges in due course".
Citing "significant flight risk" fears, she said that the accused flew into Ireland on July 30th around noontime and had a return flight booked for the same evening. She added that he had no ties to this jurisdiction and did not have any property, assets or dependents in this country.
She described him as a man of means and had grave concerns that he would evade justice, adding that he had a strong incentive to leave the country.
Cross-examined by defence solicitor Tertius Van Eeden, she agreed that if the DPP directed that the case stay in the District Court, the penalties would be considerably lower: a maximum of six months imprisonment and a fine of up to €5,000.
He put it to the detective that she left that out during her bail objections and that it was too enthusiastic to suggest the case would go to a higher level, but she did not accept that suggestion.
In later exchanges with the defence, the detective agreed that the accused had not held himself out to be a doctor, and she accepted that he was a rabbi.
The garda detective claimed he had not given any information about his training and that he used the name rabbi Y. Abraham. The solicitor replied that the Y was for Yoni, Hebrew for Jonathan.
The solicitor said his client was a member of the Initiation Society, which governs the practice or procedures of the Jewish faith, specifically circumcisions.
Mr Van Eeden added that his client, who did not address the court, was registered as a Mohel, the Hebrew word for a person qualified to carry out circumcisions.
The detective conceded she was informed of this and said enquiries were still being conducted.
When asked if she had done any Google research about that, she said she only learned this at about 8 pm on Wednesday.
Pleading for bail, Mr Van Eeden said the Initiation Society was the oldest Anglo-Jewish organisation founded in 1745. As a Mohel, he was allowed to perform circumcisions and had done so for more than 13 years, and he was fully trained medically and ethically to perform them.
The solicitor submitted that in the Jewish community, only a Mohel could perform such procedures, and he was insured to do them.
Mr Van Eeden submitted that if his client had performed the same procedures in England, it would have been completely legal.
However, the judge pointed out that it was a separate jurisdiction.
The solicitor stressed that these were allegations at this stage, and his client had no prior convictions and had the presumption of innocence.
The court heard he was the primary breadwinner for his family and also received state benefits while his wife worked part-time tutoring children with learning difficulties.
The solicitor said that his client could face a lengthy period in custody, and the trial venue has not been confirmed.
He added that a €5,000 independent surety could be offered, and Mr Abraham would obey conditions not to perform such procedures in Ireland.
Judge Connellan refused bail due to the seriousness of the case, potential flight risk and strength of evidence. Legal aid was granted to the accused, who was remanded in custody pending directions from the DPP. Mr Abraham has yet to enter a plea and will appear again on August 6th at Cloverhill District Court.
