R v Noor: the second conviction under the Female Genital Mutilation Act. Why is it significant?

6 Aug 2024

Imogen Mellor’s recent Family Law article explores the case of R v Noor (Central Criminal Court, 16 February 2024) which is the second conviction for a FGM related offence in England and Wales.

The article reviews some of the observations made by the sentencing judge including the lack of sentencing guidelines for certain FGM related offences and the requirement of Type 4 FGM to involve ‘mutilation’ to result in criminal liability. The article explores whether the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 needs amending in light of the issues that the sentencing remarks potentially highlight. The inter-relationship between criminal and family cases is discussed, including how a prosecution for a FGM related offence does not necessarily result in parallel family proceedings.

Click here to read the full article.