Two men facing the UK’s first prosecution over female genital mutilation have denied any wrongdoing.
Dr Dhanuson Dharmasena, is accused of carrying out the procedure on a woman in November 2012 after she gave birth.
Dr Dharmasena, 32, from the Whittington Hospital in north London and the second man, who can not be named, denied committing an offence under the Female Genital Mutilation Act.
The men are due to go on trial on 13 January at Southwark Crown Court.
At the hearing at the Old Bailey, the second man also denied aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the doctor to commit the offence, and he pleaded not guilty to encouraging the commission of an offence.
Dr Dharmasena is accused of committing the alleged offence while working at the Whittington Hospital.