Mohammed Haji Sadiqque was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault and eight counts of sexual assault on four girls aged between five and 11 years old.
The assaults took place between 1996 and 2006 at the Madina mosque in Cardiff where Sadiqque taught for more than 30 years.
An investigation was launched in 2006 when two girls came forward with complaints against the imam. He denied the allegations and the investigation was shelved until 2016 when it was restarted after two more victims came forward.
Mike Jenkin, a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "These women have shown remarkable courage in coming forward to speak about the abuse they suffered at the hands of Mohammed Sadiqque when they were young girls.
"Sadiqque was a respected figure in the community with considerable influence and power, which makes the bravery of his victims all the more admirable.A jury found Sadiqque guilty in June and he was handed his sentence on Friday. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing and claims he is the victim of a conspiracy by other members of the mosque.
"The evidence given by these women meant the prosecution was able to present a compelling case to the jury, resulting in the guilty verdicts."
Calling the abuse "a gross breach of trust," Judge Stephen Hopkins QC ordered Sadiqque to register as a sex offender indefinitely, The Guardian reports.
"There is a darker, deviant side to you which this trial has exposed," Judge Hopkins said. "This was a gross breach of trust - parents sending their young, female children to be taught the Koran by you."
Reader Comments
But leaving that aside, what would you say to a list of similar incidents perpetrated by Lehi, Irgun, Stern Gang, Red Brigades, IRA and so on?
[Link]
It seems you wish to link Islam with these crimes but ignore the glaringly obvious - that they are political in nature - the result of around one million people slaughtered, raped and dispossessed during the colonial assault on Palestine. Let Israeli Historian Benny Morris give you a clue:
Q: Benny Morris, in the month ahead the new version of your book on the birth of the Palestinian refugee problem is due to be published. Who will be less pleased with the book - the Israelis or the Palestinians?
Morris: According to your new findings, how many cases of Israeli rape were there in 1948?
Morris: According to your findings, how many acts of Israeli massacre were perpetrated in 1948?
Morris: [Link]
Sheesh.
twisted sick and way out of order, shackle his legs and dump him and the rest in the sea, the fish need feeding..
The Clash of Civilisations = The War of The Meat Puppets. If you feel both knees jerking in that direction when you read a story like this, what does that make you?