An imam touched a boy sexually after allowing him to smoke and watch movies in a Sneinton mosque, a court heard today (Monday, May 14).
The boy lodged a complaint at the mosque over 25 years later, but contacted police when he felt it was not properly handled.
He alleged that the abuse had been carried out by Mohammed Rabani in the attic of a mosque in Thurgarton Street, said David Outterside, prosecuting.
Rabani, now 61, pleads not guilty to three charges of indecent assault covering a span of five years. He had an interpreter beside him as the trial began at Nottingham Crown Court.
Mr Outterside said the boy often studied and prayed into the night at the mosque, in accordance with the Islamic faith. His parents regarded the boy as being “in safe hands.”
Later the imam began “to caress him as a mother or father” would do, and the boy “saw nothing sinister.”
When boy’s father caught him smoking, he asked the imam “to basically straighten his son out.”
Instead, the imam allowed the boy to smoke and watch films while lying on a mattress in the attic of the mosque, which was once a corner shop.
The imam began to lie down beside the boy, saying he felt tired.
“The Crown say he was testing the water. The imam used the trust of the boy and had a position of power to progress things,” said Mr Outterside.
The imam began rubbing himself against the boy while they were fully clothed. Later the imam began to take off clothing and the abuse began.
“The boy looked up to him as a spiritual leader and mentor. He kept the secret,” said Mr Outterside who said one incident took place when the pair went to visit another imam, who has since died.
Later the boy left the mosque and Mr Outterside said: “As he got older, his perspective plainly changed.
“He became more aware and no doubt appreciated the wrongness of it and stopped going to the mosque.”
Years later, however, he was alarmed to find that Rabani was still the imam and raised concerns.
A meeting was held, and the allegations were denied by Rabani of St Stephen’s Road, Sneinton.
“The defendant said words to the effect, ‘no, we were just joking around,’ clumsily making excuses,” said Mr Outterside. The imam also claimed that the allegations were made for commercial reasons.
Finally the boy, now a married man with children, went to the police.
Mr Outterside added: “Some people wait years before telling anyone about this type of abuse, let alone the police. Some wait months, some wait a decade, many take this kind of thing to the grave.”
The mosque has now moved from Thurgarton Street.
The trial continues.