A jury is deliberating in the trial of Abdul Haq, 42, who taught religious lessons from a garden shed and denies all allegations of sexual assault
Abdul Haq (Image: BirminghamLive)
A father-of-five is facing charges of sexually assaulting a child at his family home, where he conducted Quran lessons in his garden shed.
A jury is currently deliberating in the trial of self-styled ‘mosque teacher’ Abdul Haq, 42, of Colonial Road, Bordesley Green, Birmingham, who faces two counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13.
He additionally faces two further counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration, but denies all charges against him.
Birmingham Crown Court heard that the alleged abuse occurred on multiple occasions between 2017 and 2020, while Haq was conducting religious classes several times a week from a shed in his garden, referred to in court as a ‘mosque’.
Jurors, who were sent out to deliberate following lunch on Friday (April 10), were informed that the alleged victim, one of his pupils, was abused in several rooms within Haq’s home, allegedly while his family were absent, reports <a href=”https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-mosque-teacher-dad-accused-33747540″>Birmingham Live</a>.
Jason Bartfeld KC, prosecuting, stated that the defendant would have been able to “see” when the “coast was clear” and alleged the abuse took place on “10 or more occasions”.
He suggested it was entirely plausible that all family members could have been out of the house during those alleged incidents.
“Common sense,” Mr Bartfield told the jury in his closing statement. “People who do these things don’t just do it as a one off.” The court also heard that security cameras were installed throughout the property in 2018, including in the bedroom, enabling live viewing via mobile phones, though they were not recording at the time.
Officers confiscated Haq’s devices following his arrest in August 2020 but discovered no indecent images or unlawful material.
Haq, a tyre fitter with no prior convictions, told police he had never sexually abused the child and denied taking them into his bedroom.
He suggested the child may have become upset following an incident in which he raised his voice in front of others in the shed. He informed officers that the alleged victim ‘went red’ but that he ‘wasn’t trying to upset’ them.
He stated that students were permitted to use the bathroom at the property and maintained that any unwell children were looked after by his wife.
The court heard that Haq acknowledged the child had been inside the bedroom after they accurately described the family room to officers, though there was disagreement over whether the wallpaper was ‘white’, as the alleged victim claimed, or magnolia.
His wife also provided evidence in his defence, telling the court the child had previously been inside the house, including upstairs, and noted there were “toys everywhere”.
Defence barrister Patrick Maggs suggested the complainant could have “a strong imagination” and said it would be an “extraordinary risk” for any abuse to take place given the busy household circumstances and camera system. He stated that even in “utterly exceptional circumstances” when the family were “all out”, CCTV footage remained accessible to Haq’s wife.
Mr Maggs said: “It would be an extraordinary risk.”
Haq, who married in 2002, was characterised in personal references as a ‘polite’ and a ‘good neighbour’.
Her Honour Judge Buckingham, addressing the jury prior to deliberations, said: “It boils down to whose account do you believe.”
The jury of five men and seven women deliberated for just over two hours before being discharged on Friday.
Shortly before being sent home, jurors enquired whether any medical evidence existed regarding the alleged penetration, and were informed there was none, and that all evidence presented during the trial had been heard.
The jury will continue deliberations today (April 13).