Disgraced children’s doctor admits sexual communication with child charges following ‘sting’ at Margate’s QEQM Hospital

Dr Salman Siddiqi pleaded guilty to trying to arrange child sex offences

An already disgraced children’s intensive care doctor has pleaded guilty in court today (January 9) to trying to arrange child sexual offences after he was caught in a ‘paedo’ hunter sting in Margate.

Dr Salman Siddiqi was arrested by Kent Police yesterday (January 8) after a call from a ‘silent hunter’ who said he had arranged to meet the doctor at his lodgings by the QEQM Hospital site under the guise of a 14-year-old boy.

The hunter says he turned up at an arranged meeting place after messages were exchanged and photos were sent to him with sexual content.

He then confronted the doctor, who messages show had been expecting oral sex with the ‘teenager’, and chased him through QEQM, where he was working shifts as a locum paediatric doctor via an agency, whilst calling 999. Security removed the hunter from the site but police officers responded to the call.

A Kent Police spokesperson said: “Kent Police received a report at 3.30am on Sunday 8 January of a man suspected of attempting to arrange child sexual offences.

“Officers arrested and charged Salman Siddiqi, 44 of Globe Road, Hornchurch (London) with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and one count of attempting to arrange or facilitate a meeting with a child for sexual offences.

“He was remanded to appear at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Monday 9 January.”

Dr Siddiqi pleaded guilty to the charges today and been remanded in custody. He will appear at crown court for sentencing at a date to be arranged.

A spokesperson for East Kent Hospitals Trust, which runs hospitals including QEQM in Margate, said they were unable to comment due to ongoing legal proceedings but confirmed Dr Siddiqi has been employed through an agency to fill shifts as a locum paediatric doctor at the Trust. It is understood he worked at both Margate’s QEQM and Ashford’s William Harvey Hospital.

The spokesperson added: “We have informed the relevant regulatory bodies, including the General Medical Council.”

Dr Siddiqi, who formerly worked at The Royal Hospital London as a locum paediatric Intensive Care Unit Consultant, was suspended by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS)  for a month after a hearing last July in connection with failing to report being cautioned for indecent exposure in 2019.

He received a caution from police after exposing his genitals in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. According to Tribunal documents he was apprehended by members of the public until police arrived.

The doctor, who qualified in 2001 and had also worked at Guys and Great Ormond Street children’s hospital, did not inform the GMC of the incident until March 2021.

The Tribunal was told he was remorseful and going through turbulence in his private life. Witnesses called on Dr Siddiqi’s behalf included a Paediatric Consultant from the William Harvey Hospital.

The Tribunal suspended Dr Siddiqi for 28 days and concluded no review after this time would be necessary as “the risk of repetition is low.”

The ‘silent hunter’ said: “I chased him through A&E and he was using a key card to open private doors. I was on the phone to 999. My concern was he was a doctor and around kids.

“I catch online groomers and try and fund child protection. I try to campaign for better laws and guidelines for the police to do a greater job as the public shouldn’t be doing this but the NCA has stated they can’t handle the tsunami of paedophilia online.

“Thanet parents need to know the severity of online grooming and the rise of it and the lack of funding for our amazing police force. They need more boots on the ground, posing as children and more money for operations.

“It’s not cheap for them as they have guidelines whereas it cost me £40 for a phone and a top up of £20 and I can catch people.

“I don’t do this for fame, likes or shares but to wake up the system and the people to safeguard our cubs.”

The hunter travels the country for his stings and says his work has resulted in more than 100 convictions over a nine year period.

A second, unrelated sting in Northdown Road was also carried out by the hunter last night.

A Kent Police spokesperson said: “A 35-year-old man from Margate was arrested at 5.44pm on Sunday 8 January on suspicion of alleged child sexual offences. He was released on bail while enquiries continue.”

25 Comments

  1. Wow…no enhanced DBS for a doc working with children.. heads must roll, the QEQM is riddled with scandal after scandal.

    • Not quite sure what the point of DBS checks are if they either aren’t done, which is I believe illegal for those working with children & vulnerable adults & this guy has spent his over a decade long UK career examining children, as well as during that time & in the 2000’s overseas.

    • As was stated in the article, the offender was working on behalf of an agency. It is the agency that is to blame here. QEQM employs agency staff (at great expense) in good faith that the agency has performed its due diligence on the staff it employs.

  2. Remorseful that he got caught. Suspended for a month, yet has had access to children as a Pediatrician-does the NHS not even do DBS checks on those it hires/employs via an agency? Although it seems the QEQM knew about his offence & were happy to keep using him.

    If this turd doesn’t get struck off after this then the GMC is a laughing stock-it already said he is highly unlikely to repeat his behaviour.

    He has been on a UK Database sex offenders register that you can find just by searching online since July. The guy has been examining babies & children since 2009 as per his Linkedin. https://uk-database.org/2022/07/20/salman-siddiqi-london/

    • To be fair, it’s the agency that should have carried out the Enhanced DBS check. That’s where the heads need to roll. It would be virtually impossible for QEQM to keep on top of DBS checks for locums since, by definition, locums need to be brought in for cover at short notice. For that reason, QEQM (and the wider NHS) need to be able to trust Bank agencies to have fully vetted anybody before they even get near a hospital.
      Of course the GMC is a joke here as well. What sort of personal turbulence makes flashing in a public park acceptable? And surely this is further aggravated by the fact that he failed to notify them for two years. Why are authorities relying on those that commit these kind of offences to self-report to the GMC anyway? Should this not be automatically referred.
      The GMC does the hospital staff no favours, since they must continue to work in an environment of high workload, limited resources and pisspoor management, and the hardworking, dedicated staff that remain must now deal with the slings and arrows that will now come due to their failure to prevent a man from working there who, when asked at a tribunal, could not provide cast-iron guarantees that his behaviour would never be repeated. Those staff should not be held guilty by association. The agency and the GMC should have shielded them from the fallout of this by preventing this person from being anywhere near them or the hospital in the first place.

  3. Jesus he was remorseful after being caught with his bits out in a park yet still remained as a doctor looking after kids. Well done to the nonse hunters.

  4. Begs the question as to why he was still holding a license to practice and should have been on the nonse register. Sadly another black eye for QEQM

  5. well done to the nonce hunters – who can we trust ? the health system is in tatters from the top to the bottom

  6. Going through turbulence in his life so it gave him the urge to show his genitals? He should have been sectioned there and then. And then a colleague of his vouches for him in court, they should be named and investigated as well. No doubt helping out one of their own.

  7. Imagine what this low life would of got upto had he not been caught. A pervert Dr should never be allowed to touch anyone.

  8. Who was the DR AT William Harvey hospital who was at his tribunal and spoke up for him, is he involved with Dr siddique doing the same thing, is he still employed by East Kent Trust, why is it possible for him to work because the General Medical Council has deemed him to be of low risk of offending again, less than a year after he would have committed a more serious crime if he had not been found out by the decent “silent hunter” he got 2 in one night, well done

  9. DBS checks are not worth the paper they’re printed on…ask anyone who performs them. All it means is that you haven’t been caught… So far!

  10. NHS Has to except responsibility and not rely on agencies to do this DBS checks! Our children are not toys
    More to come in the thanet area check your child’s devices #SaveOurChildren

  11. The NHS has to take responsibility for the checks on theor employees and not rely on agencies Salman Saddiqi is a disgrace and the NHS staff was amazing aswell as the police the system does work but the rise of online grooming is severe and police cannot handle the severity of the issue
    More to follow within the thanet area so please guys check your children’s devices

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