A former imam who exploited his standing as a trusted religious leader in east London to rape and sexually abuse women and girls some as young as 12 has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years.
Abdul Halim Khan, 54, of Old Ford Road in Tower Hamlets, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday following one of the most extensive child sexual abuse investigations the Metropolitan Police has pursued within a London faith setting. He was convicted in February of 21 sexual offences, including nine counts of rape and five counts of raping a child under 13.
Sentencing him, Judge Leslie Cuthbert spoke of Khan’s “deliberate distortion of the Muslim faith” and accused him of weaponising his position for “base sexual gratification”. The judge told Khan he had “behaved as if you were untouchable,” confident that “if they did come forward it would be you and not they who would be believed.”
Khan’s offending spanned almost a decade, from 2005 to 2014. The court was told he singled out women and girls from the Bangladeshi Muslim community, calculating that the shame attached to disclosing sexual abuse, and his own elevated status as a religious figure, would silence them.
In a chilling pattern outlined to the court, Khan convinced his victims that he needed to cleanse them of evil spirits, claimed at times to be possessed by a jinn — a supernatural being in Islamic belief — and warned that “black magic” would bring death or misfortune upon them or their families if they ever spoke out. In one harrowing instance, he told a young girl that she had ovarian cancer that only he could cure. He then drove her to a secluded area and raped her.
Lead prosecutor Sarah Morris KC told the court that Khan had inflicted “lifelong harm” on his victims, and accused him of having “weaponised their faith”. The seven victims had endured years of psychological trauma, with one telling the court she had attempted to take her own life.
Several of them addressed the court in person. One survivor, who had been a child when the abuse began, told the judge in tears: “To me, Khan is not a human being, he is evil personified.” She described him as having operated “under the guise of a religious man”, trapping his victims through “lies and manipulation”.
According to a statement released by the Metropolitan Police, officers from the force’s specialist team — operating under the codename Operation Sparebank — interviewed more than 50 witnesses and examined ten mobile phone devices to build their case. Further victims came forward after the initial reports were made, allowing prosecutors to expand the indictment.
Detective Chief Inspector Jennie Ronan, who led the investigation, said Khan had presented himself “as a respectable man who could be trusted,” but in reality “preyed upon and took advantage of others.” She paid tribute to the survivors, saying: “Today, I want to focus on the victim-survivors, who have shown remarkable bravery in reporting Khan and great strength throughout the trial. We hope that today’s outcome provides a measure of comfort as they continue to rebuild their lives.”
Melissa Garner, the specialist prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service’s Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said the defendant had cynically exploited his victims’ beliefs. “Abdul Halim Khan used their deeply held beliefs to instil fear and silence in them,” she said, “making them believe their families would be at risk if they ever spoke out.”
The full breakdown of Khan’s convictions includes nine counts of rape, four counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, five counts of raping a child under 13 and one count of assault by penetration. Throughout police interviews, he denied every allegation, dismissing the case as a “conspiracy” and claiming his accusers had invented their accounts out of revenge.
Despite the scale of his offending, the court was told that letters of support for Khan had been received from members of his family and from some members of the local community ahead of sentencing — a fact noted in coverage by GB News and the BBC. None of the testimonials persuaded the judge to depart from the maximum tariff.
An NSPCC spokesperson said the case underscored how predators could exploit positions of religious authority to commit serious harm. “It is deeply disturbing that Khan abused his position as a trusted faith leader to commit sexual offences against girls and women,” the charity said, “using fear and manipulation to control and silence those he targeted.”
The Met has indicated that its inquiries remain open, and has appealed for any further victims of Khan to come forward. Anyone with information has been asked to contact officers on 101, quoting Operation Sparebank, or to report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Confidential support is available through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line on 0808 500 2222 for anyone aged 16 and over in England and Wales.
For the survivors who carried Khan’s offences with them for years, the sentence delivered on Thursday afternoon brings a closing of one long chapter. It also lays bare, in painful detail, the way in which trust extended to a religious figure can be turned into a weapon by someone determined to abuse it.
