CHATHAM (UNITED KINGDOM)
Kent Online [Kent, England]
June 25, 2026
By Julia Roberts
A head imam accused of trying to “silence” a young girl’s family over sex abuse allegations did not reveal his arrest and charge for perverting the course of justice to his mosque employers until the day before his trial was due to start, jurors were told.
Alauddin Ahmed said he took police advice that it was ”not necessary” or “important” to inform the Board of Trustees of Masjid-Ul-Abraar in Dale Street, Chatham, where he had been head imam for around 28 years, of his alleged involvement.
The 55-year-old also explained he was concerned about “rumour and gossip” causing problems in the community.
Maidstone Crown Court heard it was not until June 7 this year – almost two years after he was charged – that he said he informed the mosque chairman he would be appearing in the dock the next day alongside friend and former imam, Muhammod Islam.
Islam, who taught the Quran at the mosque from 2003, is accused of repeatedly molesting one of the young students, while Ahmed is accused of trying to persuade the girl’s family not to report the alleged abuse to police.
But while Islam was suspended from teaching by the Chatham and Rochester Muslim Committee following his arrest in 2023, the same fate did not befall Ahmed – mosque leader for 28 years.
It wasn’t until five days after his revelation, when an article from the trial published by KentOnline on June 12 came to their attention, that he lost his position.
In a letter bearing the same date and referencing a “local media report”, it was stated he had “not previously notified any trustee” of his involvement in the legal proceedings and, therefore, they had “no choice” but to suspend him until further notice.
Ahmed was also advised not to attend the mosque “for your own safety”, and that his future “depends on the outcome” of the court case.
But when the prosecution quizzed him during the trial on why he had not told anyone about his arrest and charge, he denied it was out of “self-interest”.
He also rejected the suggestion he tried to use his influence as “the man in charge of the mosque and most respected in the community” against the complainant’s parents when the allegations surfaced eight years ago.
Referring to his delay in revealing his involvement in the case, prosecutor Amy Nicholson said: “You didn’t say anything because you tried to brush it under the carpet and keep it from the community, just like you tried to silence [the complainant] and her family in 2018.
But Ahmed, speaking through an interpreter, replied: “No, I didn’t have any intention of such. I have thought about the people in the community and to save people from gossiping about this.”
The prosecutor then accused him: “You tried to deny [the complainant] the right to seek justice by trying to silence her parents.”
Ahmed responded: “No, no. That is not the truth. I have never tried.”
Ms Nicholson continued: “You tried to cover up serious allegations against one of your close friends.”
“No, I have never tried to cover up anything,” said Ahmed. “If I knew about this, not only my friend but anybody, I would go to the police.”
He also told the court he did know about the abuse allegations until after Ahmed’s arrest, and maintained he had never “tried to use his influence”, as alleged, to tell the girl’s parents not to go to the police.
Of that purported meeting with her family, the prosecutor asserted: “You were more concerned with persuading [the complainant] and her family that she would bring shame upon herself.”
“No, no, I have not done such a thing,” maintained the defendant. “If someone is facing a problem, we should help them, not silence them.”
Islam, 55, of Chatham Grove, Chatham, denies eight offences of sexual assault of a child dating back to 2004, while Ahmed, of Dale Street, Chatham, denies perverting the course of justice.
Giving evidence through interpreters, both told the court the complainant and her family had lied.
Ahmed also said that although he was asked in 2018 to tell Islam to “leave town”, he did not know why nor have “the authority or power” to do so.
A third defendant, Sayedullah Nasari, 32, of Chichester Close, Rainham, also faces a charge of perverting the course of justice.
He is accused of contacting the complainant “out of the blue” after Islam’s arrest in an attempt to discourage her from supporting the criminal investigation.
But Nasari, also assisted by an interpreter, told the court he felt “anger and frustration” towards Islam when he first heard about the sexual allegations, and had messaged the complainant out of “care” for her.
Although he denied ever telling her to drop the case and maintained he had no interest in the police investigation, he accepted that he had told her to “Leave it to God”.
When his lawyer Craig Evans asked why he had said that, Nasari stated it was because of his belief that “God’s punishment is very strong and heavy”.
The jury has retired today (Thursday) to consider its verdicts.
Read more
–‘He confessed and begged me not to tell police’, father tells imam’s trial
– Former mosque leader claims his accuser lied about sexual abuse