Imam guilty of abusing young girls as they read from the Koran
AN IMAM who taught the Koran at a Cardiff mosque has been found guilty of sexually and indecently assaulting young girls he taught.
Mohammed Sadiq, 81, was convicted by a jury of six counts of indecent assault and eight counts of sexual assault on a child under 13, which he carried out at the Madina Mosque in Cardiff between 1996 and 2006.
He was found not guilty of one count of indecent assault following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
The former teacher denied he had carried out the assaults, claiming that the allegations had been made up by the four complainants due to an internal row in the mosque between two factions.
Sadiq, whose family were in the public gallery, showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out.
His barrister, Caroline Rees, told the court the defendant had “significant” health problems and was due to have eye surgery which had been cancelled. Although she accepted that Sadiq was facing a custodial term she asked the court to adjourn the hearing for a presentence report to be carried out.
Judge Stephen Hopkins QC told Sadiq who, remained emotionless in the dock, that he would let the defendant have bail so he could sort out his affairs.
He said: “The jury have found you guilty on, in my opinion, the most compelling evidence that you indecently and sexually assaulted children when you were supposed