Courts / Louth / Report
Sham doctor who circumcised seven boys argues he wasn't given enough credit for 'seeing the light'
Summary
Philip Ogbewe, a 61-year-old man from Drogheda, Co Louth, appeared at the Court of Appeal to challenge his sentence for performing illegal circumcisions on seven boys between January 2018 and October 2019. Ogbewe pleaded guilty to seven counts of endangerment and seven counts of assault causing harm. In July 2024, Judge Elma Sheahan imposed a four-and-a-half-year sentence on each endangerment count, with one running consecutively and the rest concurrently. After applying the principles of totality, the effective sentence was reduced to seven and a half years, with the final 12 months suspended. Ogbewe's counsel, Giollaosa Ó Lidheada SC, argued the headline sentence was too high and that Ogbewe was not given sufficient credit for his remorse and reformation after "seeing the light." He contended that Ogbewe's prior three-year sentence for a separate 2015 offence, which expired just before these charges were laid, should have influenced the totality calculation. The Director of Public Prosecutions, represented by Shane Costelloe SC, maintained the sentence was sound, citing grave aggravating factors including the number of victims and Ogbewe's knowledge that his actions were illegal. The court reserved its judgment, meaning the matter was adjourned and not concluded.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Sham doctor who circumcised seven boys argues he wasn't given enough credit for 'seeing the light'. Charges or matters: seven counts of endangerment and seven counts of assault causing harm in relation to each child he performed the procedure on dates between January 1, 2018 and October 23, 2019. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- January 1, 2018 Incident
- October 23, 2019 Incident
- November 2018 Incident
- May 2020 Incident
- November 2019 Incident
- July 2024 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2018 and 2019 Incident
- 2025-10-21 Publication
Why: "The reality is the risk was actually quite low in this case because of his level of experience. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: seven counts of endangerment and seven counts of assault causing harm in relation to each child he performed the procedure on dates between January 1, 2018 and October 23, 2019 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Ogbewe was jailed in May 2020 for three years for the endangerment of this child, which was backdated to November 2019 when he was taken into custody. Sentencing Ogbewe in July 2024, Judge Sheahan imposed a four-and-a-half-year sentence on each of the seven counts of endangerment and said it was necessary that one of these sentences would run consecutively, with the remainder to run concurrently.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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