A man has been jailed for 17 years for sexually abusing a boy while posing as a religious teacher taking him to a mosque.
The Bradford Telegraph and Argus reports that Zamurrad Khan, 57, was given an 18 year extended prison sentence, with 17 years in custody and a year on extended licence, at Bradford Crown Court.
He was convicted by the jury on 10-2 majority verdicts of one offence of indecency with a child and two counts of buggery, all committed almost 40 years ago.
Judge Sophie Drake labelled Khan “an offender of particular concern”. He was ordered to register with the police as a sex offender for life.
The abuse the boy, now a man in his 40, suffered at the hands of Khan had “turned his life upside down,” Drake said. “You knocked on his door, putting yourself forward as some sort of religious teacher taking him to the mosque,” she told Khan.
He then took the child to a secluded area and touched him indecently to test him to see if he told his parents. “He was embarrassed and he did not understand, and he did not complain,” Drake said.
Khan then began to bugger him in a secluded spot down an alley and in his sports car, parked under a bridge.
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The abuse happened up to 20 times over a period of about 18 months when Khan was in his late teens. His victim was left feeling he had been cheated of his teenage years.
“He has felt shame and embarrassment and neglected himself. He did not get the job that he really deserved,” Drake said.
In his victim personal statement, the complainant said he had suffered sleepless nights and seen a mental health worker. He was so embarrassed about what Khan was doing to him that he hid from school and became depressed and scruffy. “I have become a hermit,” he stated.
Khan’s barrister, Ray Singh, said he had been of positive good character, committing no similar offences since.
“He has served this city very well. He was part of a significant regeneration group that afforded benefits to the Bradford 5 area, and he has helped a lot of people while serving the city,” Mr Singh said.
After the case, Detective Constable Kevin McConnell, of the Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, said: “We would like to thank the victim for his courage in reporting Khan’s crimes and we hope this outcome will give him some closure and allow him to move on from the abuse he suffered as a child.
“We hope it will also encourage other victims to speak with our specially trained officers. We want them to know that we will listen and we will investigate all reports thoroughly and sensitively to bring perpetrators to justice.”
