| A voluntary morality teacher at a Peterborough mosque has been jailed for hitting an 11-year-old pupil with a 3ft stick during a lesson. Mohammed Abdullah, 44, was convicted last month of assaulting the boy, who cannot be identified, at the mosque. Father-of-four Abdullah, of Millfield, Peterborough, who worked as a cleaner at Peterborough Crown Court, denied common assault but was found guilty. On Tuesday Peterborough magistrates sentenced him to four months in prison. The court heard Abdullah hit the youngster, bruising his arms and neck, after discovering a "rude picture" in an exercise book in April. Passing sentence, magistrates' chairman Peter Marshall said: "Because of the seriousness of the offence, aggravated by the breach of trust and the use of a weapon on an 11-year-old child, we feel there is no alternative to a custodial sentence." Lawyers for Abdullah told the court they would be appealing against the conviction and sentence. Magistrates heard Abdullah had lost his cleaning job at Peterborough Crown Court after being convicted of assault and had been permanently suspended from teaching at the mosque. |