A Muslim cleric convicted of raping a young boy as he attended Islamic education lessons at his mosque has been jailed for 16 years

Mohammed Hanif Khan, 43, was told he must spend at least eight years in jail after being found guilty by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court of sexual activity with a child, as well as the two counts of rape. The charges relate to two boys who attended the mosque in Stoke-on-Trent where he was imam in 2009. Khan was sentenced by Justice Dobbs following a three-week trial. Dobbs told Khan that he had blatantly abused the trust bestowed on him by the community as imam of the mosque. For the two rape charges, Dobbs sentenced Khan to a determinate period of 16 years in prison, to serve a minimum of 8 years before he could even apply to be freed, and to 12 months to run concurrently for the charge of sexual activity with a child. Dobbs also told him he would be on the sex offenders' register for life and was subject to a sex offenders' protection order. Dobbs also referred to Khan's employment prior to his post as imam at the mosque, which was as Britain's first full-time Islamic minister at Dovegate Prison, near Uttoexeter. Dobbs said he had resigned from this post after allegations emerged that he sexually harassed three female members of staff. This was not raised in front of the jury during the trial but was significant at sentencing because it served to show that Khan was a serious risk to the public.