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Father found not guilty of FGM at Bristol Crown Court
The trial of a father accused of allowing his six-year-old daughter to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) has collapsed due to a lack of evidence.
The taxi driver, who cannot be named, was found not guilty of child cruelty at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday after the defence successfully argued there was no case to answer.
Judge Julian Lambert called the medical evidence provided during the trial “wholly inclusive”, telling the court that he took the view there was insufficient evidence to continue the case.
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On his direction, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty and the 29-year-old defendant was acquitted.
The father cannot be named due to a court order protecting his daughter’s anonymity.
Speaking after the ruling, DCI Leanne Pook, Avon and Somerset’s force lead for FGM and lead officer for the case, said: “Our priority from the outset of this investigation has been to safeguard any vulnerable children and protect them from harm.
“We carried out a challenging two-year investigation, supported by professionals from a range of partner agencies, which resulted in evidence being passed to the Crown Prosecution Service and a charge being authorised for a child cruelty offence.
“We accept the findings of the court and will continue, as always, to work closely with our communities to protect those at risk of FGM, and our wider network of partner agencies and inspiring charities to raise awareness of and develop our responses to this important issue.
“FGM remains a deeply entrenched practice and we know these harmful procedures are happening in this country right now. I’d like to reassure the public that we’ll put as much energy, dedication and care into investigating FGM as we would do in any inquiry where a child is at risk of harm.
“We will continue to thoroughly investigate all potential offences of FGM. Alongside this, we will maintain our focus on preventing FGM from taking place in the first place, working with our partners and communities and using all the legislative and safeguarding powers at our disposal.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens: “The police take reports of FGM seriously as they would any form of abuse against a child.
“I am very proud of the fantastic work in Bristol as part of the ‘Bristol Model’ to tackle FGM and supportive of the ambition to end FGM in a generation by working with young people.
“As the national Police and Crime Commissioner representative for honour-based abuse, forced marriage and FGM, I am committed to protecting the most vulnerable from harm.
“Working with the police, partners, and affected communities to challenge the practice of FGM and be very clear, that it is child abuse and against the law.”
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