EBRAHIM YUSUF KAZI, SWINDON: PAEDOPHILE IMAM JAILED AFTER VICTIMS COME FORWARD
| Red Rose Database
Swindon Child Sexual Abuser
On 3 November 2011, Ebrahim Yusuf Kazi, a 67-year-old imam from Swindon, was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing young girls over 27 years ago. The judge indicated that the sentence could have been longer if the crimes had been committed more recently, due to legal restrictions on sentencing for offences older than 20 years.
Kazi was found guilty of sexually assaulting three girls, all under the age of 11, during his time teaching at the Broad Street Mosque between June 1979 and April 1985. The Crown Court in Swindon heard that Kazi would invite the girls to read aloud from books in front of other children, during which he would groped and touched their genitals beneath the desk. He also locked himself in a toilet with one of the victims, removing her clothes and touching and licking her body.
The abuse only came to light 27 years later when the victims, now women, finally decided to speak out and confront Kazi in court. During the sentencing, the victims, visibly upset, wept as they watched Kazi being sentenced for five counts of sexual assault. Judge Euaun Ambrose remarked: “You were in a position of very considerable status, trust and authority. It was a position of total power and respect — not only within the mosque but also within the local Muslim community. You were trusted by those who attended the mosque and by the parents who entrusted their children to you. However, you abused this trust and indecently assaulted three children. All were pre-pubescent girls under your care.
The judge highlighted the seriousness of Kazi’s breach of trust, noting that he continued to deny responsibility and showed no remorse. He explained, “There are much stiffer sentences for this type of behaviour today, but legally I am bound by the law at the time. Had these offences occurred more recently, the sentences would be significantly longer.”
Prosecutor Stephen Dent detailed how Kazi targeted the children while serving as an imam at the mosque. He indicated that Kazi often taught large groups of around twenty children in isolation and would make the girls come forward to read passages, during which he would fondle their legs, touching their private parts until they finished the reading. The victims, aged approximately eight to ten at the time, described episodes of abuse lasting up to 15 minutes. One victim he groomed over several years, eventually being subjected to increasingly invasive acts, including being stripped and licked.
It was revealed that one girl’s family considered Kazi’s status in the community so revered that she did not initially talk about her experiences. When another girl disclosed her abuse to her parents, Kazi responded angrily, calling her a “liar,” causing her to recant the allegations. Additionally, another family withdrew their daughter from the mosque after her brother witnessed abuse. All three victims—who have since grown into women—were compelled to give evidence during the trial.
Judge Ambrose referenced impact statements from the victims, revealing that one continues to suffer nightmares, and all indicated that the abuse still affects their lives. Kazi’s defense lawyer, Martin Steen, stated that Kazi had relocated to Gloucester, where he was now a respected community member. Steen claimed that Kazi, who suffers from poor health and depression, had taken measures like installing panic alarms at home after the allegations emerged. He presented 24 letters praising Kazi’s character, including a statement from a woman saying she would trust him with her child.
In addition to the imprisonment, Kazi was subject to an Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Dressed in white religious robes and a Muslim skull cap, he appeared confused as he listened to the court interpreter translating proceedings into Gujarati, before he was ordered to be taken to custody.
Kazi was found guilty of sexually assaulting three girls, all under the age of 11, during his time teaching at the Broad Street Mosque between June 1979 and April 1985. The Crown Court in Swindon heard that Kazi would invite the girls to read aloud from books in front of other children, during which he would groped and touched their genitals beneath the desk. He also locked himself in a toilet with one of the victims, removing her clothes and touching and licking her body.
The abuse only came to light 27 years later when the victims, now women, finally decided to speak out and confront Kazi in court. During the sentencing, the victims, visibly upset, wept as they watched Kazi being sentenced for five counts of sexual assault. Judge Euaun Ambrose remarked: “You were in a position of very considerable status, trust and authority. It was a position of total power and respect — not only within the mosque but also within the local Muslim community. You were trusted by those who attended the mosque and by the parents who entrusted their children to you. However, you abused this trust and indecently assaulted three children. All were pre-pubescent girls under your care.
The judge highlighted the seriousness of Kazi’s breach of trust, noting that he continued to deny responsibility and showed no remorse. He explained, “There are much stiffer sentences for this type of behaviour today, but legally I am bound by the law at the time. Had these offences occurred more recently, the sentences would be significantly longer.”
Prosecutor Stephen Dent detailed how Kazi targeted the children while serving as an imam at the mosque. He indicated that Kazi often taught large groups of around twenty children in isolation and would make the girls come forward to read passages, during which he would fondle their legs, touching their private parts until they finished the reading. The victims, aged approximately eight to ten at the time, described episodes of abuse lasting up to 15 minutes. One victim he groomed over several years, eventually being subjected to increasingly invasive acts, including being stripped and licked.
It was revealed that one girl’s family considered Kazi’s status in the community so revered that she did not initially talk about her experiences. When another girl disclosed her abuse to her parents, Kazi responded angrily, calling her a “liar,” causing her to recant the allegations. Additionally, another family withdrew their daughter from the mosque after her brother witnessed abuse. All three victims—who have since grown into women—were compelled to give evidence during the trial.
Judge Ambrose referenced impact statements from the victims, revealing that one continues to suffer nightmares, and all indicated that the abuse still affects their lives. Kazi’s defense lawyer, Martin Steen, stated that Kazi had relocated to Gloucester, where he was now a respected community member. Steen claimed that Kazi, who suffers from poor health and depression, had taken measures like installing panic alarms at home after the allegations emerged. He presented 24 letters praising Kazi’s character, including a statement from a woman saying she would trust him with her child.
In addition to the imprisonment, Kazi was subject to an Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Dressed in white religious robes and a Muslim skull cap, he appeared confused as he listened to the court interpreter translating proceedings into Gujarati, before he was ordered to be taken to custody.