A former imam in east London has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years after a series of sexual attacks on seven women and girls, some as young as 12. Abdul Halim Khan, 54, was convicted in February of 21 counts of rape, sexual assault and child sexual offences committed between 2005 and 2014.
The court heard that Khan used his position of trust and authority within the local Muslim community to target vulnerable victims, many of them from the Bangladeshi Muslim community. He was said to have abused the shame and fear that victims might feel about reporting sexual offences, and to have selected isolated locations including flats and hidden places to carry out the attacks.
Sentencing him at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Judge Leslie Cuthbert described Khan’s conduct as a “deliberate distortion of the Muslim faith”. He told the defendant that he had held a position of significant power and had systematically abused it for his own sexual gratification. The judge said Khan behaved as though he were untouchable and believed victims would be disbelieved if they came forward.
Victim statements read to the court described severe and lasting harm, with one survivor saying she had tried to take her own life. Another, who said she was a child when abused, described Khan as “evil personified” and said he used lies and manipulation while hiding behind the image of a religious man.
Prosecutors said Khan convinced some victims they needed to be cleansed of “jinns”, or evil spirits, and threatened that death or harm would come to them or their families if they spoke out. In one case, he told a young victim she had ovarian cancer that only he could cure, before taking her to a secluded area in his car and raping her.
Lead prosecution barrister Sarah Morris KC said Khan had “weaponised their faith” and caused lifelong harm by using fear and manipulation to silence his victims. She said he exploited deeply held beliefs to convince them their families would be at risk if they told anyone what had happened.
Khan was found guilty of nine counts of rape, four counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, five counts of rape of a child under 13 and one count of assault by penetration. Despite the convictions, the court received letters of support from his family and some members of the community before sentencing.
Detective Chief Inspector Jennie Ronan said Khan presented himself as respectable and trustworthy, but in reality preyed on vulnerable people. She praised the “remarkable bravery” of the victim-survivors for coming forward and for their strength during the trial.
A CPS specialist prosecutor said Khan used deeply held beliefs to instil fear and silence his victims, while an NSPCC spokesperson said it was deeply disturbing that a trusted faith leader abused his position to commit sexual offences against girls and women through fear and manipulation.