Spanish Court Sentences Two Imams to 15 Years for Child Sexual Abuse

Prosecuted for sexual assaults against two minors, the two individuals, originally from Morocco and Pakistan respectively, will be expelled from Spanish territory after serving two-thirds of their sentence.

Working in different centers, they were arrested in flagrante delicto, according to the Spanish newspaper La Vangardia. They took advantage of moments of isolation, and forced the two children, aged 9 and 12 respectively, to undergo their sexual harassment, under threat.

The 46-year-old Moroccan imam, who had joined the religious center in Spain in 2012, was in the habit of teaching Quranic lessons to the children of the city. According to the newspaper, he is being prosecuted on provisional release after posting bail, pending the appeal trial scheduled for September.