Ex-PhD student jailed for conspiring to commit female genital mutilation against young girl

A former PhD student has been jailed for more than four years after becoming the first person to be convicted of conspiracy to commit female genital mutilation (FGM) in England and Wales.

Emad Kaky, 47, was living in Nottingham when he arranged for a young girl to travel from the UK to Iraq where he had organised for her to be subjected to FGM and forced into an arranged marriage.

A witness uncovered Kaky’s plans before they were carried out and reported him to police. They also organised for the victim to return to the UK.

Messages retrieved from Kaky’s mobile phone showed that he “clearly” intended to subject the girl to FGM, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Kaky, who now lives in Swansea, was also convicted of forced marriage at Nottingham Crown Court last month after a two-week trial.

He was jailed at the same court today for four and a half years.

Kaky had denied the charges and defended his actions when challenged by a witness, saying FGM was “normal”.

During sentencing, Judge Nirmal Shant KC called Kaky’s planned FGM offence “barbaric”.

She added: “When considering the seriousness of the offence I look not just at the harm that occurred, it didn’t in this case but, in fact, the intended harm.

“You made concerted efforts to make sure this happened. I make, nonetheless, some adjustment for the fact that no FGM took place, and importantly, thankfully, (the girl) was unaware of any of these plans.

“This offence calls for a deterrent sentence. What you did, what you had planned, was barbaric.”

Junior defence barrister Geraldine Kelly said the girl was spared the “physical and mental trauma” she would have suffered if the procedure had been carried out.

The University of Nottingham said Kaky was a visiting scholar at the university when the offences came to light.

Ms Kelly said Kaky’s academic accomplishments as a PhD student at the university were “respected” and “impressive” and that losing his job was “in itself a form of punishment”.

Janine McKinney, chief prosecutor for the CPS in the 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 from facing prosecution.

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

‘Unacceptable practice’

Meanwhile, Jaswant Narwal, CPS national lead for honour-based abuse, female genital mutilation and forced marriage, added: “There are many complexities involved in prosecuting this type of offending, which can be committed in close-knit communities, historically, and abroad, but this is no barrier to the CPS prosecuting wherever our legal test is met.

“We are clear there is no place for this unacceptable practice in society. We will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to safeguard and support victims of FGM and bring perpetrators to justice.”

Kaky is the first person convicted of conspiracy to commit FGM in England and Wales.

There have been just two other FGM-related convictions in England and Wales: the first in 2019 for committing FGM in the UK, and the second in 2023 for assisting the commission of FGM overseas.

FGM has been a criminal offence in England and Wales since 1985.

It 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.

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