Hafez Ashraf Uddin

Hafez Ashraf Uddin, a 71-year-old former Islamic teacher from Ipswich, was jailed for 12 years at Ipswich Crown Court after being found guilty of sexually abusing six young girls over a 14-year period.

The offences occurred between 1985 and 1999, during which Uddin, who held a position of trust in the community as an imam and teacher, carried out 13 counts of indecent assault on victims aged between 7 and 13 years old. The assaults took place on multiple occasions and had profound, long-lasting impacts on the survivors, many of whom only came forward to report the crimes decades later due to the trauma and fear they experienced at the time.

Detective Inspector Donna Hopper from the South Safeguarding Investigation Unit commended the victims' bravery in speaking out, stating: 'Hafez Ashraf Uddin abused the respected position of trust that he held in the community and subjected these young girls to shocking assaults – some of them on multiple occasions. These assaults have had long-lasting impacts on the victims, who did not feel able or confident to report them at the time for a number of reasons.' She emphasised that justice can be achieved regardless of the passage of time, noting that Uddin had not anticipated the resilience of his victims in ensuring he faced consequences for his actions.

During the sentencing hearing on 25 November, one of the victims addressed Uddin directly via a prison video link, describing the devastating effects of his abuse. She said: 'One of my earliest memories is of feeling disgusting from being touched by that man. It may have even been as early as five years old. My niece was six when I wrote this and her beautiful innocence makes me realise what was taken from me by that monster.' She continued to detail how the abuse led to lifelong self-hatred and a distorted sense of blame, only alleviated through recent therapy. The victim concluded with a poignant poem she composed after giving evidence: 'Oh little girl you are free. You are finally free. Oh little girl you endured you pained you died and rebirthed again and again... Oh brave little warrior girl. You swam the ocean of your tears and reached the shore. Oh little girl I am so proud of you, I am so proud of me.'

Judge David Wilson imposed the 12-year custodial sentence on Uddin, who resides on Wivenhoe Road in Barking, London. The case was investigated by Suffolk Constabulary, highlighting their commitment to pursuing historical sexual abuse allegations to deliver justice for victims.