Former East London Imam Gets Life Sentence for Rapes of Women and Girls

A former imam in east London described as cunning and manipulative received a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years for sexual attacks on women and girls as young as 12.

Abdul Halim Khan, 54, abused the trust and authority of his position to assault seven victims from the local Muslim community between 2005 and 2014. In February, a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court found him guilty of 21 counts, including 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. The attacks occurred in isolated places such as flats and hidden locations.

Judge Cuthbert told Khan, "You had a position of significant power and authority, a position you systematically abused for your own base sexual gratification." She noted that Khan targeted women and girls from the Bangladeshi Muslim community, exploiting his standing and the shame they might feel in reporting the abuse.

"You behaved as if you were untouchable. You were confident that if they did come forward it would be you and not they who would be believed," Cuthbert said.

Victims described the severe impact of the attacks in court statements. One victim, who was a child at the time of her abuse, tearfully said, "To me, Khan is not a human being, he is evil personified." She added that Khan instilled fear through lies and manipulation while hiding under the guise of a religious man.

Lead prosecutor Sarah Morris KC said Khan convinced victims they needed cleansing from jinns, or evil spirits. She described the lifelong harm he caused by weaponizing their faith. Khan claimed to some victims that he was possessed during the assaults and threatened death or harm to them or their families through black magic if they spoke out.

He told one young victim she had ovarian cancer that only he could cure, then drove her to a secluded area and raped her. Victims spoke of lies and manipulation from a man seen in the community as religious, pious, and trustworthy.

The court received letters of support for Khan from family members and some community members before sentencing.

Detective Chief Inspector Jennie Ronan, who led the investigation, said, "Abdul Khan presented himself as a respectable man who could be trusted. However, this was far from the truth, and he instead preyed upon and took advantage of others."