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A family doctor who repeatedly bungled a religious circumcision on a two-month-old baby tried to bribe the child's family into dropping a damages claim against him, it has been alleged.

Dr Muhammad Chaudhary was being sued for compensation after he botched the £150 procedure.

The 52-year-old then then failed to repair the damage with up to four further operations, and the family launched a civil claim against him.

A medical tribunal heard claims of how Dr Chaudhary then began pestering the grandfather of the boy at a restaurant he owned.

It was claimed that the doctor began handing out gifts and offering to pay the family's legal costs and private school fees for the child.

The medic even tried to use the strict Muslim family's faith against them as he tried to halt the investigation, writing in a letter: "Litigation in Muslim culture is not usually a route to adopt especially in ritual matters."

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Following five operations on the boy which left his genitalia badly damaged, he also took gifts to the grandfather for the child in attempts to 'butter him up', a fitness to practice hearing heard.

In the end the child had to be referred to a specialist surgeon - as he should have been after the first failed repairing operation.

Three further hospital operations were required to correct the damage.

The boy wasn't discharged from the associated treatment until he was almost three-and-a-half years old.

But the extent of Dr Chaudhary's advice following his fourth repair procedure was allegedly: "Treat him like the Quran and be gentle."

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester heard Dr Chaudhary had been asked to perform the initial procedure by the baby's grandfather when another GP passed on his name.

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He accepted the £150 fee for the operation but didn't explain any potential risks.

It is also claimed he did not tell the family any details of what the procedure would involve - or explain why his wife was also in the room during the operation.

When the boy's family became concerned about the results of the first operation, they visited Dr Chaudhary ten days later while he was working as a locum at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

However he allegedly ushered them in through a side door as he hadn't organised an official appointment.

There, he looked 'shocked' when he saw the extent of the damage to the boy's penis and organised a second operation at his Broadway Medical Centre surgery in Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

During that operation the Pakistani medic did not tell the parents of the boy - known as Patient A - the nature of the complication and again it failed to fix the problem, it is alleged.

Following second, third and allegedly a fourth failed repair operations, the boy's father feared Dr Chaudhary had 'no idea' what he was doing and they said they were referring Patient A to a hospital consultant via his GP.

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Dr Chaudhary - who had allegedly failed to update Patient A's GP on the procedures - looked 'shocked and panicked' and said he would refer the boy himself.

But in the referral to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, he called the boy, 'my relative' and 'my nephew's son', gave his surgery's address as the details for the boy's GP and provided his own address as the boy's next of kin, it was said.

Lawyer for the General Medical Council, Alan Taylor said: "This was all untrue and Dr Chaudhary knew it was untrue. Dr Chaudhary was seeking to portray himself as a close member of Patient A's family to whom all information could be sent so he could keep tabs on and therefore keep control of what was going on.

"Having the communication sent directly to his home meant nobody else would find out about what had happened, about any error he may have made."

The initial circumcision took place on November 22, 2008, at the Broadway Medical Centre, but the family's dealings with Dr Chaudhary - also an associate specialist in urology - continued until January 2014 as they pursued damages against him.

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He visited the grandfather of the boy - referred to as Mr F - at his restaurant four times in that month alone offering a settlement or the payment of private school fees if they dropped the claim, it is alleged.

By the time of the final meeting on January 30, he had already been advised in writing by solicitors dealing with the claim to leave the family alone, the hearing was told.

Mr Taylor added: "The case involves, the circumcision, Dr Chaudhary's probity and honesty or dishonesty as he sought to deal with the consequences of his actions, and his actions following the commencement of civil proceedings against him by the family of the child.

"There was more than one occasion between December 2009 and January 2009 when Dr Chaudhary attended Mr F's restaurant with gifts for Patient A. Mr F will confirm that the visits would follow each unsuccessful surgical procedure.

"We say these were attempts to butter up and try and keep Mr F and the family happy. Things weren't going to plan as Dr Chaudhary will have realised and it was in his interests to keep Mr F and the family on board."

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Describing the further offer of an out-of-court settlement, he added: "These were clearly attempts to persuade the family to discontinue proceedings and as such in the context of ongoing litigation were inappropriate, improper and unprofessional."

Dr Chaudhary admits carrying out the original circumcision and three repair operations.

He admits referring the boy to hospital as 'his nephew's son' and admits going to the grandfather's restaurant to offer payment of legal costs.

He denies performing a fourth repair operation, failing to keep the family properly informed, offering gifts to the boy's grandfather, offering to pay private school fees that his actions were dishonest.

The hearing continues.