DUBAI // A man who impersonated the respected Hollywood plastic surgeon Dr Stephen Hopping has been sentenced to a further five months in jail for two botched surgeries. The 40-year-old American, S M, was convicted last week of life endangerment and causing accidental injury, adding the five-month jail term to his previous two-month conviction.
S M, who is wanted by the FBI on additional charges, was sentenced to three months in prison for causing accidental injury to a 31-year-old Romanian woman who consulted him in August last year. The patient visited S M in his Al Barsha villa to remove lip fillers that had been implanted by another surgeon four years earlier. The woman was left with permanent scarring. He was also sentenced to two months in jail on a charge of life endangerment for injecting botox into the forehead of a 35-year-old Jordanian woman, identified as A A.
On Sunday, SM was back in court on charges of life endangerment, illegally practising medicine and impersonating another person after he allegedly operated on a 27-year-old Palestinian woman identified as H S. SM pleaded guilty to illegally practising medicine and illegally impersonating Dr Hopping, but denied life endangerment. In his defence, the 40-year-old man told presiding Judge Jamal al Jubaili, of the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours, he has practised medicine in the United States for 14 years and had continued to do so in Dubai for at least 12 months.
He claimed he was forced to conduct his illegal practice to support his family. The Palestinian woman told prosecutors she was referred to S M by one of her friends, who had previously been treated by him. HS had a facelift and received two botox injections from SM at the cost of Dh1,000. After the procedure, HS suffered facial inflammation in the area where the botox was administered. According to prosecution records, she experienced acute psychological hysteria as a result.
H S told prosecutors that when she contacted S M for medication he asked her to calm down and said this was normal. The court will meet next week on August 8 to issue its verdict. In reaction to news of the ongoing cases, SM's Romanian patient, who works in the fashion industry, told The National that she was also hoping to seek compensation from S M to pay for the next round of reconstructive treatment.
"It was horrible, he kept cutting," she said. "Now I am hoping to get another corrective surgery with the real Dr Hopping after Ramadan." S M was arrested last February after an investigation by the Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Police revealed that he was performing surgeries on his kitchen table. He arrived in the country in 2007 after his US medical licence was revoked in 2004. He is wanted by the FBI and Interpol on charges including drug possession and trafficking, crimes against life and health, as well as giving false statements to the US government.
The charges related to a 2003 lawsuit brought by the Oregon attorney general, Hardy Myers, that claimed SM violated consumer protection laws and illegally imported human growth hormone from China. He was also accused of claiming that a gel he sold on the internet contained the same active ingredient as the anti-impotence drug Viagra. S M's previous two-month conviction is being appealed by Dr Hopping and the Public Prosecutor, who are asking for a harsher sentence. In the first hearing in July, S M failed to appear in court and the case was adjourned to August 23.
amustafa@thenational.ae
munderwood@thenational.ae
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
LIVERPOOL SQUAD
Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Andy Lonergan, Xherdan Shaqiri, Andy Robertson, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Neco Williams
Company%C2%A0profile
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
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Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
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What is a portfolio stress test?
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What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
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How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
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Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.