A former imam and teacher at a Bradford mosque has been branded a “hypocrite” by a judge as he jailed him for sexually abusing a teenage boy.

Mohammed Ilyas Alibhai, 66, was today jailed for a year after a jury found him guilty of three charges of sexual activity with a child at the end of his trial back in November.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Alibhai, of Waverley Terrace, Horton, Bradford, committed the offences while he held a position of trust at the mosque.

Prosecutor Nick Adlington said Alibhai had hugged and kissed the complainant and rubbed himself against the teenager.

He said the offending had had a “devastating” effect on the complainant, who must not be identified for legal reasons, and he submitted that the complainant had suffered severe psychological harm.

Alibhai’s barrister Laura McBride said her client arrived in this country in 1992 and had spent his working life as a scholar and a teacher.

“In all other respects he has led a life in which he has supported, taught and helped many hundreds of people,” she said.

The court heard that Alibhai had recently suffered a heart attack and Miss McBride urged Judge Ahmed Nadim to consider suspending any prison sentence.

But Judge Nadim told Alibhai that by virtue of his position at the mosque he was respected, revered and trusted and no one would have guessed that there was a dark side to his character and personality.

“In fact you are a hypocrite with an unhealthy sexual interest,” he told Alibhai.

“Your disgraceful conduct in a place of worship has betrayed the trust of the mosque congregation and the students alike.

“The victim impact evidence demonstrates that he has had to endure the scars of his experience for many years.”

The judge said he would be failing in his public duty if he did not impose an immediate jail sentence for the offending.

Alibhai will now have to comply with a five-year sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender with the police for the next ten years.