Man jailed in UK for conspiring to commit FGM in Iraq

LONDON (Reuters) – A British court sentenced a 47-year-old man to 4-1/2 years in prison after he was convicted of conspiring to commit female genital mutilation (FGM) against a young girl by sending her to Iraq to be subjected to the practice.

The Crown Prosecution Service said on Thursday it was the first time a person had been convicted of conspiracy to commit FGM, and the third time it had secured an FGM conviction in England and Wales.

FGM was criminalised in 2003 in England and Wales and is defined as a form of violence where the female genital organs are injured or changed without a medical reason.  The World Health Organization says FGM has no health benefits and can lead to excessive bleeding, shock, psychological problems and even death.

Emad Kaky, from Swansea in Wales, arranged for the child to travel to Iraq where he had organised for her to be subjected to FGM and forced into marriage, but a witness intervened, returning the girl to Britain and contacting police.  

“The law is clear that there is no place for this unacceptable practice in society,” Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East Midlands Janine McKinney said in a statement.

“Where there is evidence that people have plotted to commit these offences, they face prosecution, whether or not they succeed.”

Prosecutors showed the jury evidence that Kaky had booked and paid for the victim’s trip to Iraq while he was living in Nottingham, England, and messages on his phone showed him defending his plans for the victim, calling it “normal”.

Kaky was also convicted of one count of forced marriage after a 10-day trial at Nottingham Crown Court.