A UK court has sentenced former imam Abdul Halim Khan, an Indian national, to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years after his conviction for multiple rapes and sexual assaults against seven victims, some as young as 12.
Khan, 54, preyed on women and girls from the local Bangladeshi Muslim community between 2005 and 2014 while serving as a faith leader at a mosque in east London. Prosecutors said he used his position of authority and the community’s trust to lure victims to private flats and secluded locations where he committed the offences.
In February, he was found guilty of 21 offences: 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.
Sentencing Khan at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Judge Leslie Cuthbert condemned his exploitation of religious authority, saying he deliberately abused a position of power for his own sexual gratification and took advantage of women who trusted him. The judge noted Khan targeted vulnerable people within his own community, believing shame and stigma would prevent them from reporting him.
The court heard that Khan manipulated victims by claiming supernatural powers and insisting he needed to cleanse them of evil spirits. He told some that he was possessed, threatened others with ‘black magic’ harming them or their families if they spoke out, and in one instance falsely told a young victim she had ovarian cancer that only he could cure before taking her to a secluded place and raping her.
Throughout the trial Khan denied the allegations, claiming the accusations were part of a conspiracy and had been fabricated for revenge.
The sentence reflects the gravity of offences committed over many years and the breach of trust inherent in exploiting a religious leadership role to abuse vulnerable members of the community.