A volunteer imam in Cheltenham has been sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two young girls aged five and seven. Shah Masukur Rashid, 45, was convicted at Gloucester Crown Court for multiple counts of sexual assault committed between October 2018 and January 2019, when he was 37.
The disturbing crimes came to light when the young victims were overheard labeling Rashid as “creepy” during their interactions. When questioned, the children revealed that Rashid had inappropriately touched them both over and under their clothing during Quran lessons held in their homes.
Elizabeth Rushton from the Crown Prosecution Service emphasized the betrayal of trust involved, stating, “Rashid exploited the confidence placed in him by his community. He offered religious tutoring with the intent of gaining unsupervised access to children, which he then used to carry out these assaults.”
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The conviction underscores the commitment of the Crown Prosecution Service to bring offenders to justice and protect vulnerable individuals, particularly women and girls, from abuse.