Police have bailed a man and a woman who were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit female genital mutilation (FGM).

A 40-year-old woman and a 72-year-old man were detained following an investigation by officers based at Heathrow Airport and a Child Abuse Investigation Team.

On Friday, 25 July, at 07.30hrs, officers based in Terminal 4 of Heathrow Airport stopped a 72-year-old man who was travelling with an 11-year-old girl, having arrived that morning on a flight from Kampala, Uganda.

With concerns for her welfare, specialist officers took the girl - a UK national - into the care of social services. Officers acted upon information given and a 40-year-old woman was arrested in Hackney under Section 2 of FGM Act 2003 - 'aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring a girl to carry out FGM on herself'. She was taken to an east London police station.

The 72-year-old male, a Ugandan national, was arrested in Newham on Saturday, 26 July under Section 2 of FGM Act 2003. He was also taken to an east London police station.

Both have now been bailed pending further investigation - confirmed bail dates await.

The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 makes it illegal to participate in any sort of arrangement for FGM to be performed on another, either inside or outside the UK.

July 28, 2014