A 45-year-old volunteer imam from Cheltenham has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment at Gloucester Crown Court after being convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls aged between five and seven during private religious lessons.
Shah Masukur Rashid appeared for sentence following a criminal investigation into sexual offences committed against two young children across late 2018 and early 2019.
The prosecution outlined that Rashid worked at a local mosque in Cheltenham and offered private tutoring services in the community. Families engaged Rashid as a volunteer Quranic instructor, placing significant trust in his role and providing him with unsupervised access to teach the children inside private homes.
The court heard that Rashid abused this position of religious authority and pastoral confidence. Between October 2018 and January 2019, Rashid subjected both victims—who were between five and seven years of age—to sexual abuse, carrying out sexual touching over and under their clothing during the tuition sessions.
The abuse came to light after relatives overheard the young children describing Rashid as “creepy”. When questioned about their comments, the girls disclosed the sexual touching they had endured during their lessons.
Rashid stood trial at Gloucester Crown Court, where he was convicted across the indictment:
Two counts of sexual assault against the first victim
Four counts of sexual assault against the second victim
At the sentencing hearing, the presiding judge addressed the severe breach of trust committed by an individual invited into family homes under the auspices of religious instruction, highlighting the extreme youth of the victims.
The judge sentenced Rashid to an immediate custodial term of six years’ imprisonment. Under statutory provisions governing determinate sentences for sexual offences, Rashid will serve at least half of the sentence in custody before becoming eligible to be considered for release on licence under probation supervision.
To ensure continuous public protection and safeguarding, the court ordered that Rashid comply with notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register for the rest of his life, made him subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order containing strict indefinite prohibitions, and permanently disqualified him from engaging in regulated activity involving children or vulnerable adults.
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