Former mosque worker jailed for sex abuse of boys

The victims of a man who sexually abused young boys while working in a Birmingham mosque have spoken out about how he "betrayed their trust" and "took advantage of their bodies".

Said Daauud, 25, targeted five children, all aged between nine and 14, over several months and tried to win their trust by plying them with sweets and gadgets, police said.

The former agency IT support worker sent more than 4,000 messages to one of the boys demanding indecent images and encouraging them to tell him they loved him.

He was found guilty of rape, nine sexual assault counts and seven charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and sentenced to 16 years in jail.

He was also handed an extended licence period of five years.

The mosque cannot be named for legal reasons.

A police investigation was launched in May 2022 and officers found the accused, of Rudgewick Croft, Aston, had stayed overnight at one of the boys' houses and touched them inappropriately, a West Midlands Police spokesperson said.

"Said has betrayed my trust. He was a friend, like a big brother. I now struggle to trust adults, because he was as a true friend", one boy told police.

"This whole situation has made me feel overwhelmed and I just want things to go back to normal."

Another said: "Although I knew it was really wrong, I still tried to see the positives in Said. However, as the months have passed, I have more of an understanding of how Said had manipulated me and taken advantage of me and my body.

"I feel so betrayed by him, I can't even begin to describe this."

Some of his inappropriate physical contact with the boys was captured on CCTV at the mosque.

At Birmingham Crown Court on 6 February, Daauud was handed the jail term and ordered to remain on licence for a further five years after that period.

He had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of assault on a boy under 13 by touching and four counts of sexual assault on a male.

He was also ordered to abide by a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely and indefinite restraining orders against each of the children he attacked.

Det Sgt Thomas Finney said: "Daauud has showed no remorse throughout this and has taken the case to trial, which meant that these children had to go through the ordeal of giving evidence and being cross-examined.

"We have made sure they've been supported through the process.

"He's used his position within the community to build up a real level of trust with families, who were happy to let him stay the night and care for their children.

"He abused that trust in the most appalling way, with a series of appalling sexual attacks on really young members of the community."

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