A former Muslim priest has been jailed for sexually abusing four young girls inside a mosque. Qari Sher Mohammad, 61, will spend 10 years behind bars for abusing children throughout the course of a decade.
Mohammad, of Woodford Road, Forest Gate, London, was the imam at the Muslim Community Centre in Chatham, Kent. One of his victims reported him to Kent Police in 2018, revealing that he had sexually touched her while carrying out his spiritual duties. The attack took place at a mosque on Thorold Road between March 2014 and October 2016.
Mohammad was arrested in April 2018 but was not charged due to concerns about the impact a trial would have on the young victim. However, Mohammad then sexually assaulted three more children between May 2022 and December 2023 before being arrested on December 11.
Investigating officers returned to the victim who made the initial report in 2018. She was now an adult and said she wanted to support the police in prosecuting Mohammad.
He was charged with multiple counts of sexual touching of a child but denied the offences. On March 7 this year, he was convicted on 16 counts at Canterbury Court.
During the trial, Mohammad claimed he would not have abused the girls out of “fear of god”. However, the court heard how he singled out the girls for “extra attention” by hugging them, touching under or over their clothing and kissing them on the lips, as reported by Kent Online.
One of the victims claimed Mohammad massaged her chest and told her it would help her physical development. Another said he would hug “too tight” and put his hand “all the way up” their clothing.
Mohammad was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday (September 12). He will also be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years once he is released.
Detective Constable Conor Middleton said: “This man was in a position of authority when these appalling offences were committed.
“The children showed immense courage by reporting his actions and I would like to commend them and their parents for assisting our investigation.
“Mohammad is now serving a prison sentence and he should reflect on his actions and the impact they had on these vulnerable victims.”