A respected east London Muslim has been convicted of rape following a Scotland Yard counter-terrorism investigation. | So he's not so respected anymore, is he ... |
Police were investigating Khalisadar's links to terrorist Kazi Nurur Rahman but it did not lead to a terror arrest. However, DNA taken when he was arrested for having child abuse pictures on his computer linked him to the rape. After denying it for almost a year and a half, Khalisadar admitted raping the woman in Whitechapel, east London, in the early hours of 16 October 2005.
He is unemployed but used to work as an assistant in a primary school teaching English and Maths. He also worked with an anti-drug-and-violence project in east London's Brick Lane, and was well known for his religious talks.
Seven of Khalisadar's
| They're not so respected either, are they ... |
He forced her to perform a sex act, and threatened to kill her when she tried to escape. He held a knife to her throat, saying: "You love your Daddy." Traces of his semen were found on the victim's body and clothes. She was also left with bruises on her arms, leg and face. There was an appeal on the BBC's Crimewatch programme but the assault remained unsolved for almost a year.
In the meantime, Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command was investigating Khalisadar's connection with Rahman, who was convicted in 2006 of trying to buy Uzi sub-machine guns for use by terrorists. When Khalisadar was taken to a police station and swabbed for DNA, detectives discovered to their surprise that he was the man being sought for the rape.
At first he insisted the sex was consensual, then he concocted an alibi saying he had been giving a talk on repentance at the mosque that night. It was the middle of Ramadan, and young men would often meet at the mosque through the night before eating their breakfast ahead of sunrise. His friends supported the alibi, but now admit they lied. The DNA evidence was overwhelming and there was also technical evidence that his phone was used near the victim's flat at the time of the rape.
Khalisadar and his co-accused will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday. Eleven charges of possessing photographs of child abuse are not being proceeded with at present.