A mosque leader from Newham who sexually touched four children has been jailed.
Qari Sher Mohammad targeted the kids over almost a decade until his brave victims raised the alarm.
The imam, of Woodford Road in Forest Gate, was first reported to police in 2018 when one girl revealed he had touched her while he carried out his duties at a mosque in Chatham, Kent, between March 2014 and October 2016.
The 61-year-old was arrested and interviewed in April that year, but he was not charged due to concerns about the potential impact a trial would have on the young victim.
Between May 2022 and December 2023, Mohammad sexually assaulted three further children and he was arrested on December 11 that year.
Police also returned to the initial victim, who was by then an adult, and she said she wished to support a police prosecution.
He was charged with multiple counts of sexual touching of a child.
Mohammad denied the offences but on March 7 this year he was convicted at Canterbury Crown Court on 16 indictments.
On September 12, he was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.
A sexual harm prevention order will also be in place 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.”
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