An imam who raped a teenager during ‘spiritual healing’ was jailed for 15 years and slammed by a judge as being “a fraud, a charlatan and a disgrace to your religion”.
Komar Uddin (68) wept in the dock at Leicester Crown Court after a jury convicted him of two rapes and three sexual assaults upon a vulnerable 19-year-old in her home.
The married father-of-11, from Bangladesh, admitted being in Britain illegally, but had denied the sexual allegation and claimed to have worked in mosques throughout the UK.
The teenager was attacked on February 25, 2015, whilst her family were downstairs and Uddin, was invited to exorcise evil spirits from the troubled and mentally fragile victim.
Uddin was arrested three years ago and he fled the country whilst on bail. He was extradited from Germany last November to face trial.
Richard Thatcher, prosecuting, said Uddin was likely to be deported at the end of his sentence.
Before passing sentence, Judge Timothy Spencer QC addressed weeping Uddin in the dock, saying: “What are you crying about?”
The defendant said, through an interpreter: “It’s hurting my heart.”
The judge said: “You’re just feeling sorry for yourself?”
Uddin replied: “My family, myself … and everyone.”
Judge Spencer then said: “Let’s not mince words, you’re a fraud, a charlatan and a disgrace to your religion – and a breathtakingly selfish man as well.
“That’s (the crying) only for yourself, possibly for your family and not whatsoever for the complainant or her family.”
Judge Spencer said: “She was 19 years old and, as you rightly said (when he gave evidence), young enough to be your granddaughter.
“She was very vulnerable in February 2015.
“She was grieving for (a family member) who had died.
“She, like the rest of her family, had a deep belief in the spirit world and in djinns (spirits).
“You were a trusted imam within the community.
“You encouraged the belief that you were skilled in ridding believers of bad spirits; evil djinns.
“I’ve no way of knowing whether that was a genuine skill or just a pretence you put forward.
“This family placed their trust in you, particularly the father, and you betrayed his trust appallingly.
“You were invited to their house and it was supposed to be for you to help that young woman with her distress, to rid her of the evil spirits.”
The judge said the two were alone in in semi-darkness, with candles and incense in her bedroom.
He added: “You used your power over her to violate her for your own sexual gratification and did nothing to assist her distress – you greatly added to her distress.”
The judge told Uddin: “You showed no restraint whatsoever.
“You had her completely at your mercy and you raped her.”
He said the defendant’s DNA was found on her internal examination swabs, proving sexual intercourse had taken place.
Judge Spencer said: “It’s a shameful betrayal of your religion and the position you held within the Islamic community.
“You made her believe if she told anyone it wouldn’t dispel the spirits and they would return – you used that to ensure her silence.”
Uddin’s barrister, James McLernon, said in mitigation after the verdicts: “He has no previous convictions
“It wasn’t a case of him selecting the victim. The family brought him in to treat her.
“He found himself in that position and took advantage of it and abused his position.
“He has a large family in Bangladesh, with strong ties to the community here, and this will follow him when he’s back in Bangladesh.
“He was financially supporting his family throughout his time in the UK (since 2006) and it will have a real impact on his family.”
