A British three-year-old cried for the “whole night” after she was subjected to female genital mutilation, a court heard.
Jurors were told Amina Noor, 39, took the toddler, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to Kenya in 2006 where the procedure was carried out.
In her opening statement, prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said they travelled by tuk-tuk to a clinic at a private house where the girl was taken into a room on her own by a woman, whose medical qualifications were not known.
The girl, who was born in Britain, was not told what would happen to her or was “too young to understand”.
“Whilst they were there, she took [the girl] to the house of Kenyan woman, where [the girl] was subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM).”
Afterwards, the toddler was “quiet” but later cried the whole night, complaining of pain when she went to the toilet.
The incident was not reported until 2018, when the girl – then aged 16 – confided in an English teacher who contacted the authorities.
Noor, who was born in Somalia and lives in Edgware, north London, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of assisting a person to mutilate a girl’s genitalia while outside the UK, contrary to the FGM Act of 2003. She denies the charge.
Ms Deer told the jury: “You will hear agreed evidence which confirms that FGM is practice that is very widespread among the Somali community in East Africa.
“Figures held by the United Nations suggest that 94 per cent of females of Somali origin living in Kenya undergo FGM.”
In a police interview in 2019, Noor said she had expected the child to undergo ‘Sunnah’, which she said was the insertion of a needle in the genitalia to draw blood, but insisted she did not know it would be removed.
“She said that it was a quick procedure and that although [the child] had cried when it was carried out, she was happy and able to run around and play afterwards,” Deer told the court.
However, she said did not check the child’s wound, “nor did she want to”, the court heard.
During a medical examination at a London hospital in 2019, doctors confirmed the girl’s clitoris had been fully removed.
In a separate interview with officials, Noor again referred to ‘Sunnah’ – an Arabic word meaning ‘tradition’ or ‘way’.
“The defendant said that it was a practice that had gone on for cultural reasons for many years,” Ms Deer told the court.
She added: “An offence of FGM is committed if a person excises (removes), infibulates (which involves stitching the genitalia) or otherwise mutilates the whole or any part of a girl’s labia majora, labia minora or clitoris.
“In this case, you will hear that the medical evidence is accepted and is clear: [the victim’s] clitoris was removed or excised. Therefore, an offence of FGM was committed against her.”
Jurors will need to consider if Noor aided, abetted, counselled or procured the commission of FGM, the court heard.
The trial continues.
