A former imam at a mosque in Chatham, Kent, was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing four children over nearly a decade.
Qari Sher Mohammad, 61, was found guilty on March 7, 2025, at Canterbury Court on 16 counts of sexual touching of a child, related to offences that began in 2014 and continued as recently as December 2023. He denied the charges during proceedings.
Prosecutors said concerns about Mohammad’s conduct were first raised in 2018 after one of his victims, then a child, reported that he had sexually touched her while carrying out spiritual duties inside the Muslim Community Centre on Thorold Road between March 2014 and October 2016. Mohammad was arrested and interviewed in April 2018 but was not charged at that time because of concerns that a trial could have a detrimental impact on the young complainant.
Police allege that between May 2022 and December 2023 Mohammad sexually assaulted three additional children. He was arrested on December 11, 2023, and the earlier complainant, who had since reached adulthood, told investigators she wished to support a prosecution for the historic offences.
Following conviction on the 16 indictments, a judge imposed a 10-year custodial sentence. Court papers state that, on release, Mohammad will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.
Detective Constable Conor Middleton said the defendant had been a person in a position of authority when the offences were committed and praised the victims and their families for coming forward. "The children showed immense courage by reporting his actions and I would like to commend them and their parents for assisting our investigation," Middleton said. "Mohammad is now serving a prison sentence and he should reflect on his actions and the impact they had on these vulnerable victims."
The case drew attention to the challenges of prosecuting historic sexual offences involving children, including balancing the welfare of complainants with the need to pursue allegations. Authorities said support was provided to the victims and families during both the investigation and court proceedings.
Local community leaders and mosque officials were not immediately available for comment. Police urged anyone with information relating to the case or concerns about child sexual abuse to contact the police or local child protection services.
The sentence marks the conclusion of a prosecution that spanned initial complaints made in 2018 and further allegations that emerged years later, underscoring a multi-year investigation into abuse within the community setting.