Former PhD student convicted in 'landmark' FGM conspiracy case

A former PhD student has been found guilty of conspiring to commit female genital mutilation against a young girl in the first conviction if its kind in England and Wales.

Emad Kaky, who lives in Swansea, arranged for a child to travel from the UK to Iraq where he had organised for her to be subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced into marriage.

But before the crimes could be carried out, Kaky's plans were uncovered by a witness who arranged for the victim to safely travel back to the UK.

Kaky was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit FGM and forced marriage an offence which he denied.

The jury were presented evidence that he had booked and paid for a trip to Iraq while living in Nottingham.

Messages retrieved from his phone showed Kaky clearly intended to subject the victim to FGM and forced marriage.

He went on to defend his actions when a witness challenged him, calling FGM 'normal'.

Kaky was convicted by a jury today at Nottingham Crown Court and is due to be sentenced at a later date.

In a statement Janine McKinney, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Crown Prosecution Service East Midlands, said: "Female genital mutilation is a horrific crime to subject anyone to – let alone a child.

"There was clear evidence that Emad Kaky had intended for this young girl to suffer incredible harm and to be forced into an illegal marriage she would have had no ability to resist at such a young age.

"This landmark case sends a strong message to offenders of this sickening crime – just because an offence has been committed somewhere else in the world does not stop you facing prosecution.

"We will explore every avenue in our pursuit to get justice for victims, wherever our legal test is met.”

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