Indian imam lures, rapes 7 girls, women in UK with djinn claims, gets life in jail

An Indian imam in East London who raped multiple women, including children as young as 12, after claiming he had supernatural powers, has been sentenced to life with a minimum prison term of 20 years. Abdul Halim Khan exploited his position as a religious leader to abuse seven women and girls within the Muslim community over a nine-year period, between 2005 and 2014, reported UK-based outlet, The Independent.

Khan, the 54-year-old imam in East London's Old Ford Road, told his victims that he was "possessed or disguised" as a "supernatural spirit [jinn]" while carrying out the forced sexual acts, reported the UK-based Sky News.

Khan was found guilty in February of 21 counts of rape, sexual assault, and child sexual offences against victims in "isolated places", including flats and hidden locations. According to the BBC, Khan told a young victim that only he could cure her ovarian cancer. He, then, took her in his car to a secluded area and raped her.

The legal proceedings and the judgment of a life imprisonment sentence and a minimum of 20 years in jail were delivered at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday.

While handing down the sentence, Judge Leslie Cuthbert said, "Behind a public appearance of propriety and holiness, Khan took monstrous advantage of women who trusted him, all for his own sexual satisfaction". The judge said that Khan targeted women and girls from the Bangladeshi Muslim community.

"This is a deliberate distortion of the Muslim faith," the Judge said.

IMAM TARGETED GIRLS FROM THE BANGLADESHI MUSLIM COMMUNITY

The judge highlighted that Khan specifically targeted women and girls from the Bangladeshi Muslim community.

He did this assuming that the victims might not complain regarding the sexual abuse due to the fear of the Imam's authority and feelings of shame. All seven victims, three of whom were young teenage girls at the time, were members of the local Bangladeshi community.

"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," Judge Cuthbert told Khan in court.

"To me, Khan is not a human being. He is evil personified," a victim of Imam's sexual abuse told the court, according to the BBC.

The court also heard statements from other victims, and they all spoke of the severely detrimental impact the assaults had caused on them.

A victim told the BBC that she was 13 years old when she was sexually assaulted by Khan.

"I genuinely believed he had supernatural powers," the victim said.

The victim also added that Khan told her "something really bad" would happen to her and her family if she ever "spoke about the abuse".

IMAM CONVINCED WOMEN AND GIRLS OF CLEANSING EVIL SPIRITS FROM THEM

As an imam, Khan would persuade women and girls to meet him in isolated places, like flats and other hidden locations, Sky News reported, citing the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the government agency responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales.

Once women reached the spot, Khan would then rape or sexually abuse them, saying he was possessed by a jinn, or supernatural spirit, the Sky News report added.

Victims reportedly felt they had to keep these acts hidden and quiet from families and friends, or they may be harmed by "black magic". Lead prosecution barrister Sarah Morris KC told the BBC that Khan convinced the victims that he needed to cleanse them of the evil spirits he said were in them.

Khan also threatened that death or harm would come to the victims or their families through "black magic" if they ever revealed the abuse.

Victims of the Imam's crime described being subjected to "lies and manipulation" by a man widely regarded in the Muslim community as religious, pious, and trustworthy.

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