London Imam, 54, sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes of abuse of women and girls / Photo: File
A former east London imam who used claims of “supernatural powers” to manipulate and sexually assault women and children has been jailed for life in one of the UK’s most disturbing assault cases in recent years.Abdul Halim Khan, 54, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court after being found guilty of 21 sex offences, including multiple counts of rape and child rape committed over nearly a decade. Prosecutors said the attacks occurred between 2004 and 2015, and included seven victims, some as young as 12 years old.The former imam, who lived in Bethnal Green, abused his position as an authoritative religious figure within the Muslim community to target vulnerable women and girls.
Investigators said he convinced some victims that he had supernatural powers and claimed he could disguise himself as a “jinn,” a spirit mentioned in Islamic tradition, during the attacks.Judge Leslie Cuthbert sentenced Khan to life imprisonment with a minimum of 20 years, condemning what she described as a “brutal” abuse of trust. During sentencing, the judge said Khan acted “as if you were untouchable” while exploiting victims who trusted him because of his religious standing.
How does the imam claim to control the victims?
The case shocked prosecutors because of the methods Khan allegedly used to manipulate victims.According to the Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police, Khan persuaded women and children to meet him alone in apartments, secluded areas and isolated locations. Once there, he sexually assaulted or raped them, claiming supernatural forces were involved.Some victims were reportedly told they could be harmed through “black magic” if they spoke publicly about the abuse.
Others fear social stigma or harm to their families within the community if they come forward. Prosecutors said those fears allowed Khan to continue committing crimes for years without being detected.Police described the former imam as a “predatory criminal” who deliberately used religion, fear and emotional control to silence victims.During the trial, jurors heard how Khan systematically targeted women and girls who trusted him as a religious leader.
His respectable public image allowed him to work without suspicion for years, prosecutors said.Crimes included:
- Nine counts of rape
- Five counts of rape of a child under 13 years old
- Two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13
- Four counts of sexual assault
- One count of assault by penetration
Police praise victims for breaking the silence
Investigators said the case relied heavily on the courage of the victims who finally decided to speak to police after years of trauma and silence.The Metropolitan Police said many victims had endured the emotional impact of abuse for years before feeling able to report what had happened. Detectives praised them for helping to secure a conviction despite the difficulty of revisiting the extremely traumatic experiences.The case has once again sparked wider discussions in Britain about abuses committed by authority figures and the dangers of unchecked power within religious or societal institutions.Child protection experts say perpetrators in positions of trust often rely on fear, shame and societal pressure to prevent victims from speaking out. Khan’s case has also renewed debate about how allegations of assault are handled within tight-knit communities and whether victims receive adequate protection and support when coming forward.Online reactions following the ruling showed widespread outrage, with many social media users expressing shock at the scale of the abuse and the length of time it allegedly continued unchecked.
Trust, strength and community protection
The sentencing of Abdul Halim Khan is likely to remain one of the highest-profile cases of assault on a religious figure in the UK this year.For many observers, the case goes beyond just the conviction of one individual. It has become part of a broader national debate about protection failure, abuse of power and the barriers victims still face when reporting sexual violence.Across Britain, several historic abuse scandals over the past two decades have exposed how predators sometimes exploit positions of trust, including religious authority, education, community leadership and care systems, to manipulate vulnerable victims while avoiding scrutiny for years.In Khan’s case, prosecutors said the abuse continued for years because victims felt isolated, afraid and helpless.The life sentence handed down by Snaresbrook Crown Court brings the criminal proceedings to an end, but for survivors, the emotional impact of the abuse is likely to last much longer.
