Former London imam sentenced to life for abusing 7 women and girls

A former imam in east London was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday after being convicted of sexually abusing seven women and girls over more than a decade. Abdul Halim Khan, 54, of Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green, received the sentence at Snaresbrook Crown Court, where Judge Leslie Cuthbert ordered him to serve a minimum of 20 years before parole eligibility.

Khan, who served as an imam at a mosque in the Tower Hamlets area, targeted members of the local Bangladeshi Muslim community between 2004 and 2015. He was found guilty in February of 21 offenses, including nine counts of assault, four counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, five counts of assault of a child under 13, and one count of assault by penetration. Prosecutors said Khan exploited his position of trust by claiming spiritual powers, pretending to be possessed by a jinn or supernatural spirit during assaults in isolated locations such as private flats, secluded spots, and victims' homes. He instilled fear in the victims, as young as 12, by warning of black magic that could harm them or their families if they spoke out, leveraging cultural beliefs and community stigma to...