A British neurosurgeon who posed for selfies brandishing an arsenal of weapons whilst sending threatening Snapchat messages has been struck off the medical register following a damning tribunal ruling that included findings of sexual assault and racist abuse.
Dr Sayed Talibi, 38, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, was found guilty of multiple charges including sexually assaulting a woman, making racist statements, and accumulating disturbing violent imagery on his devices between 2007 and 2018. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) ruled his fitness to practise was impaired due to serious misconduct that “risked bringing the profession into disrepute”.
The tribunal heard how the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust neurosurgeon sent a chilling Snapchat message featuring an image of three knives, a meat cleaver and a small sword with the caption: “Who wants to play?
Among the most serious findings, Dr Talibi was found to have raped a woman, referred to as Ms A, after the tribunal determined he had sex with her on one occasion without her consent and without “having reasonable belief” she was consenting. He had denied raping the woman three times, but the tribunal upheld one charge.
The panel also found he threatened, abused and assaulted Ms A, including threatening to waterboard her and brandishing a knife in front of her. In 2018, he attempted to breach a non-molestation order relating to the same woman.
Simon Jackson KC, representing the General Medical Council, presented evidence showing Dr Talibi had downloaded graphic footage of beheadings, including Taliban militants killing civilians and Pakistani soldiers. The tribunal was shown images of heavy armoured vehicles and weaponry found on his devices, along with aerial photographs of RAF Lakenheath and military bases in Italy, Greece, Turkey and the UK.
When questioned about photos showing him with semi-automatic firearms, pistols and magazines laid out on a garden patio, believed to have been taken in the UK, Dr Talibi admitted he had been “foolish” but claimed he thought “it was cool” at the time.
The neurosurgeon denied being “obsessed” with guns or expressing “anti-Western attitudes”, claiming many photos showed “BB” or “toy” guns. He told the tribunal his interest in weaponry stemmed from his time as an army cadet at university and an interest in “West Asian geo-politics.
I’m sure everyone is allowed to disagree with politics but I don’t disagree with being a law-abiding citizen in the West,” Dr Talibi said when challenged about recordings suggesting he held “anti-Western sentiments.
The tribunal found proved charges that Dr Talibi made racist and discriminatory comments, including saying he “hated” non-Muslims, Afghans and Afghan culture. He admitted using the derogatory term “kuffar” to describe non-Muslims and was recorded saying “I hate this country, I hate Afghan people equally.
In a shocking breach of patient confidentiality and professional standards, Dr Talibi created a dating profile describing himself as a “28-year-old brain surgeon” and uploaded a photograph showing him participating in live brain surgery with a patient’s exposed brain visible, without consent.
Additional misconduct included receiving a banning order from Asda supermarket in May 2017 after dishonestly leaving without paying for milk powder. He also defrauded EDF Energy over a £770 bill by providing false information about a tenant, and illegally recorded a court hearing in January 2017 without permission.
The tribunal heard Dr Talibi regarded himself as a “British patriot” who abhorred “terrorism in any form”, despite the disturbing material found on his devices. Charges relating to possession of “sensitive material” connected to 9/11 terrorists, including immigration documents and articles about making ignition devices, were not proved.
The MPTS panel, sitting in Manchester, told Dr Talibi: “Your actions and the course of conduct risked bringing the profession into disrepute. And that by reason of the matters set out above, your fitness to practise is impaired because of your misconduct.”
The tribunal sat over multiple sessions between April 2024 and April 2025 before reaching its conclusions. Dr Talibi has been erased from the medical register, meaning he can no longer practise medicine in the UK.
The case has raised serious questions about vetting procedures within the NHS and how someone displaying such concerning behaviour could continue practising as a brain surgeon for years whilst accumulating weapons imagery and committing serious offences.
Neither Dr Talibi nor University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust responded to requests for comment.
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