Man living in Wales appears in landmark trial charged with FGM

Emad Kaky, 47, a former PHD student, denies the offences

A man living in Wales has appeared in court in a landmark case charged with conspiracy to commit female genital mutilation. A jury has been told how Emad Kaky's role was discovered by a witness who told the police they had seen messages from him in which he said the alleged victim "is not going to die, a lot of people are practising it."

According to prosecutors in the trial, the first in history of this nature to take place in Nottingham, other messages from the 47-year-old that the jury will hear about include him telling the same witness "all of my tribe had done it and they lead a normal life, nothing happened to them" and "this is not killing, this is something normal."

Kaky is a former University of Nottingham student but is now of Neath Road, Swansea. He denies the charge and an alternative count of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent, reports Nottinghamshire Live.

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Duncan Atkinson KC, opening the trial to the six women and six men of the jury on Tuesday, said at the time of the alleged offence Kaky was at the University of Nottingham having studied for a PhD there.

He said: "There are a number of different types of FGM which have been identified by the World Health Organisation involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It does involve the infliction of serious injury on the female on whom it is performed.

"There were messages between the defendant and (a witness) in which he said 'this matter will last less than two days'. (There are also messages in which he said) 'she is not going to die, a lot of people are practising it, and 'all of my tribe had done it and they lead a normal life, nothing happened to them. This is not killing, this is something normal'."

Mr Atkinson said the matter was reported to the police and an investigation began. He said: "The defendant was arrested and interviewed. Two mobile phones were seized, one of which was found to contain some, but not all, of the messages shown on screenshots taken from (a witness's) phone. The missing messages are those that refer to FGM."

"You might conclude this is not a coincidence and shows that the defendant recognised his actions and his messages relating to FGM represented criminal conduct. He provided an account in interview to the effect that he had never heard of FGM and denied he had been involved in arranging that (the female) was to be subjected to it."

"He prepared a lengthy prepared statement (in which) he denied ever entertaining the idea of FGM."

There have been just two convictions in England and Wales under the FGM Act, the most recent of which took place in October last year following a trial at the Old Bailey in London.The alleged victim's identity is protected by law as the trial, which is expected to last up to two weeks, continues.