A man charged with aiding and abetting the alleged removal of a woman's labia minora at a Central Coast tattoo parlour will argue that he had nothing to do with the procedure, which police allege was female genital mutilation.

Police in 2018 charged American national Howard Rollins with aiding and abetting female genital mutilation - a charge that carried a maximum of 21 years imprisonment - in relation to what is alleged to be a botched procedure done by a body modifier and friend of Mr Rollins, Brendan Russell, in 2016.

Howard Rollins outside Gosford District Court in 2019. Credit:AAP

Mr Rollins is not alleged to have touched the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and told her she "didn't have to go through with it if she didn't want to" before the procedure, the District Court heard on Wednesday.

The woman did go ahead with the procedure although Mr Rollins "left [the tattoo parlour] before the end of the procedure", Judge Robert Sutherland, SC, said on Wednesday.