Haringey man jailed for conducting 'horrific' illegal operations

A man in his 40s was left with irreversible, life-changing injuries

A Haringey resident has been jailed for five years after Metropolitan Police found he was involved in ‘illegal back street operations’ which resulted in life-changing injuries to a man in his 40s.

Damien Byrnes, 36, of Ashfield Road, Haringey, has been jailed for five years for causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Two other men, Jacob Crimi-Appleby and Nathaniel Arnold, were sentenced to three years and eight months and two years respectively on Monday, 15th January at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty at the same court last year.

The court heard that the victim – a man in his 40s – contacted the three men to arrange illegal operations which resulted in them removing parts of his body.

As part of an investigation which began in early 2021, officers viewed hours of ‘horrific’ footage to identify the victim and offenders, liaised with UK and overseas forces, and travelled across the UK in search of witnesses and further victims.

The men were arrested between December 2021 and September 2022.

Detective inspector Amanda Greig, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Unit, said: “This has been a prolonged investigation which was extremely challenging due to the complexity of the offences. There was an immense volume of horrific material which my team had to view in order to identify the victim and offenders.  

“The offenders are part of a wider network of men who have taken part in illegal back street operations, frequently with life threatening consequences. We have identified the network which spans across the UK and overseas, leading us to share intelligence with numerous police forces. We are aware that illegal operations committed by others have impacted various people including those with complex body-dysmorphic symptoms and people within the LGBT+ community.”

“I would like to encourage anyone who has had similar experiences to seek medical advice from their GP and contact us via Crimestoppers (0800 555 111) quoting Operation Vicktor. You can also contact LGBT+ anti-abuse charity Galop on 0800 999 5428.” 

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