Met Police defends not telling NHS about children's doctor flashing arrest

WATCH: Kit Bradshaw reports on the indecent exposure case leading to calls for a change in the law

The Metropolitan Police has defended its decision not to inform the NHS when a paediatrician was arrested and cautioned for indecent exposure, four years before he was jailed for child sex offences.

Dr Salman Siddiqi, a consultant from Hornchurch, exposed himself to several women in a park in Tower Hamlets in 2019 before being apprehended by members of the public. He received a police caution but officers chose not to tell hospital bosses, despite being legally able to.

In June, Siddiqi was jailed for two years and four months for engaging in sexual communication with a child and attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate.

Scotland Yard launched an internal review of its officers’ decision not to disclose details of the earlier exposure incident, following an ITV News investigation. The review concluded that “based on the facts, the context of this incident, and evidence available at the time, it was appropriate not to disclose in this case”.

Susan Clapp – one of the women Siddiqi flashed in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park – told ITV News she feels “very badly let down” by the Metropolitan force.

“I hope [the Met] take it more seriously if it happens again because it’s not fair on the victim, it has an impact on that person's life. I think the police are a failure, a complete failure.”

Some campaigners are calling for a change in the law to bring about mandatory reporting, which would force police to tell healthcare employers if a staff member was arrested for sex offences.

Lucy Duckworth, from the Survivors Trust, said: “We’re calling for a complete system reform. It is evident from this and many cases that we need mandatory reporting in this country and it needs to not be a choice for institutions to report known offenders, so we can prevent them from doing it again.”

The Metropolitan Police declined an interview request. In a statement, a force spokesperson said: “Police were called at 18:45hrs on Saturday, 1 June 2019 to a report of a man running naked in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. Officers attended and arrested a man on suspicion of exposure.

“He was taken into custody and provided an account, saying he had met up with another individual in the park who had dared him to do it. Based on the evidence available, officers made the decision to issue him with a caution.

“We recognise the distress this incident may have caused to witnesses and would be happy to speak to them directly to provide further details around the decision making, if they wish to do so.

“Common Law Police Disclosure ensures that where there is a public protection risk, the police will pass information to the employer or regulatory body to allow them to act swiftly to mitigate any risk.

“As per NPCC [National Police Chiefs' Council] guidance, the general presumption is that the police should maintain the confidentiality of personal information. The police do however possess a common law power to share personal sensitive information with third parties where a ‘pressing social need’ can be established. A pressing social need might be the safeguarding, or protection from harm, of an individual, a group of individuals, or society at large.

“The decision on ‘pressing social need’ is based on the officer investigating the case’s assessment of the risk and vulnerability of the individual case and circumstances. In this instance disclosure was not made and this decision has been reviewed.

“We are satisfied that based on the facts, the context of this incident, and evidence available at the time, it was appropriate not to disclose in this case.”

Susan Clapp is considering a formal complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The Home Office, National Police Chiefs' Council and East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust declined to comment.

Siddiqi is currently suspended from medical practice. His case is due to be considered by a medical practitioners tribunal hearing in January 2024.

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