A former PhD student who became the first person to be convicted of conspiracy to commit female genital mutilation (FGM) has had his ‘unduly lenient’ sentence increased.

Emad Kady, a former PhD student and professor at the University of Nottingham, this week had his four-and-half-year sentence increased to seven years after his initial term was referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Scheme. 

A ‘landmark’ case in England and Wales, the 48-year-old had made ‘barbaric’ arrangements for an unaware young girl to travel from the United Kingdom to Iraq before being reported by a witness. 

Police seized his phone, where they found evidence that Kady ‘clearly’ intended to subject the young girl to FGM, the Crown Prosecution Service previously argued, saying the former professor referred to his actions as ‘normal.’

Kady denied any wrongdoing, and it was heard during a trial at Nottingham Crown Court he said his victim ‘is not going to die, a lot of people are practicing it.’

This week, the Attorney General’s Office confirmed that the four-and-a-half year term which was handed to him late last year has now been increased to seven years.

Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP said: ‘FGM is a sickening crime and this government is determined to stamp out the practice as part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls.

‘This offender intended to inflict grotesque physical and mental suffering upon a child. The court has rightly decided to increase his sentence to reflect the severity of his crime.

Emad Kady (pictured) arriving at Nottingham Crown Court in August 2024 ahead of his trial for conspiracy to commit female genital mutilation

The former University professor this week had his four-and-a-half year sentence increased to seven years after a review by the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Scheme

The former University professor this week had his four-and-a-half year sentence increased to seven years after a review by the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Scheme 

‘This was a landmark case, and I would like to commend the work of the CPS to successfully prosecute for the first time a charge of conspiracy to commit FGM.’

The 48-year-old, who had been living in Swansea prior to his jail sentence, had also planned to have his victim forced into marriage. 

Following this week’s ruling, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Midlands Janine McKinney described FGM as a ‘horrific’ crime. 

‘This landmark case sends a strong message to perpetrators – just because an offence has been committed somewhere else in the world does not stop you facing prosecution,’ she said.

‘During the trial we presented evidence that the defendant considered his behaviour to be normal. Today, Emad Kaky has faced the consequences of his actions in trying to get a child subjected to female genital mutilation and be forced into a marriage not of her choosing.

‘The law is clear that there is no place for this unacceptable practice in society and the Crown Prosecution Service, police and other law enforcement agencies will work together to bring perpetrators to justice.’

Janine McKinney (pictured), Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East Midlands, described Kady's intended crime as 'horrific'

Janine McKinney (pictured), Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East Midlands, described Kady’s intended crime as ‘horrific’

During Kady’s two-week trial last year, Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC said at the time of the offence the perpetrator had been living in Nottingham.

He said: ‘There are a number of different types of FGM which have been identified by the World Health Organisation… 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, 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.” 

‘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.’

During the initial trial, the court heard in mitigation how no FGM procedure was actually carried out on the victim who was ‘completely unaware what was being planned’ by Kaky.

The former professor, who has no previous convictions, has been sentenced to seven years in jail and placed on the sex offender register for life.  

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