Father accused of child cruelty over FGM

♦ An Uber driver was caught allowing female genital mutilation to be carried out on his daughter after he inadvertently tipped off an anti-fgm campaigner who got into his cab, a court heard.

The defendant, who denies child cruelty, had picked up Sami Ullah from Temple Meads station in Bristol. During the 10-minute journey he revealed his seven-year-old daughter had a “small cut”, Bristol Crown Court was told.

The case is thought to be the first prosecution for FGM under child cruelty laws. The child was said to have been subjected to type-4 FGM, defined by the World Health Organisation as “all other harmful procedures” involving pricking with a hot needle, or quartering, rather than the most severe forms. This type is not included in the UK’S FGM laws.

The father, 29, who cannot be named, is alleged to have told the customer: “I did the small one to my daughter... other people did the big one but I did the small one.”

The driver said it happened in the Montpelier area of Bristol, and when Mr Ullah asked if he knew it was illegal, he said it was “custom and tradition”.

The case continues.