AN Oldham man has been sentenced to 23 years in jail for sexually abusing three children when he was working as a teacher at a mosque in the 1990s.
Hafiz Fazal was convicted on Wednesday (14) of 14 of the 17 charges he faced at Nightingale Court at the Lowry in Salford.
The offences ranged from indecent assaults on a boy to raping a girl between 1993 and 1996.
A personal statement of a victim read out by prosecutor Christopher Tehrani described the paedophile as a ‘wretched creature’ for stealing his childhood innocence. A second victim said he is a “danger to society”, according to The Oldham Times.
Fazal, 66, appeared in Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday (15). He was convicted of all the six charges he faced related to indecent assaults on the boy, the first complainant, when he was teaching at the mosque.
Fazal was found guilty of seven offences of rape of another child between November 1994 and September 1995.
He was also convicted of indecent assault on a third complainant.
The first victim said, “my innocence was stolen from me and the freedom of a carefree childhood.” He said he struggled to form relationships and tried to take his life twice.
The second victim said: “I was given a life sentence of pain and anguish. He is a wholly disgusting man who has ruined my life, he is a danger to society.”
While sentencing, Judge Mark Ford commended the “bravery” of the complainants for approaching the police and giving evidence before the court.
"It is not easy to disclose memories of this sort.”
The judge said Fazal, who did not show any remorse, was an “offender of particular concern” and barred him from working with children, The Oldham Times said.
Fazal’s conviction and sentencing came more than 25 years after the offences had taken place. The proceedings against Fazal began when the first complainant heard about an inquiry into child abuse on the radio and decided to move the court in 2017.
Damian Talbot