London imam jailed for raping seven Muslim women and girls

Abdul Halim Khan was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years after a court found he had carried out a sustained campaign of sexual abuse against seven women and girls from the Muslim community.

The 54-year-old, of Old Ford Road in Tower Hamlets, was convicted on Friday, 13 February 2026 of 21 sexual offences, including nine counts of rape, at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London. The offences, which also included sexual assault and child sexual offences, took place between 2004 and 2015.

Police and prosecutors said Khan exploited the authority that came with his role as a respected imam and faith leader in east London. They said he preyed on vulnerable women and girls by pretending to have spiritual or supernatural powers, then used threats against their families to stop them speaking out.

Melissa Garner said Khan abused his position of trust and authority against seven victims, including three vulnerable teenage girls. Prosecutors said some of the victims were as young as 12 when the offending began, underscoring how young and isolated some of the girls were when Khan targeted them.

The case points to a deep safeguarding failure inside a trusted religious setting. For years, the abuse continued while Khan’s standing in the community helped shield him from scrutiny and gave him leverage over victims who feared both him and the consequences of disclosure. The combination of reverence, intimidation and silence allowed the offending to persist across an 11-year period.

The Metropolitan Police said the offences were committed over 11 years in east London and that investigators worked to support the survivors while building a case strong enough to secure justice. The Crown Prosecution Service said Khan manipulated and controlled the victims for his own sexual gratification, exploiting deeply held beliefs to instil fear.

The sentence closes a case that exposed how abuse can be hidden in plain sight when spiritual authority goes unchecked. In this case, trust was weaponised inside a faith community, and the cost was measured in years of abuse, shattered confidence and seven victim-survivors who were forced to endure it.