'It's constantly in my mind': Victim's torment as hunt for paedophile imam drags on
A victim of a paedophile imam who went on the run during his trial has said he is constantly on her mind almost a year after he evaded justice.
Hafiz Rahman, who preyed on two young girls at a Black Country mosque in the 1980s, slipped through the net and fled to Bangladesh after claiming he was too ill to attend court.
The incredible lapse left one of his victims, Nabila Sharma, incredulous as her long and arduous battle for justice was snatched away.
Rahman, 58, of Ballard Road, Netherton, was found guilty of five charges of indecent assault in October last year.
But after the jury found him guilty in his absence, Rahman inexplicably managed to board a flight to Bangladesh under the noses of the police to avoid being sentenced.
Rahman was the imam at Queens Cross mosque in Cradley Heath and convicted of historic crimes against the girls, who he was supposed to be giving religious instruction.
West Midlands Police has insisted the hunt to find the fugitive imam remains an 'active investigation', while the Crown Prosecution is understood to have discovered a location for him but no arrest has taken place.
Hopes of his capture were raised earlier this year when files were passed to extradition experts but he has yet to return to the UK.
Mother-of-one Mrs Sharma, a pen name she uses, said the imam's escape has prevented her from moving on and believes he may never be found.
She also complained about receiving a lack of information on the investigation from both the police and the CPS.
A jail cell will be waiting for Rahman if he ever returns to the UK after he was sentenced to 11-and-a-half years, but that is of little comfort to Mrs Sharma, now 40.
She told the Express & Star: "I still have no closure. I'm still angry and frustrated. It is constantly there in my mind.
"It was a bittersweet victory. Others now know he was doing what he was doing but I haven't got closure."
Mrs Sharma said she still finds it hard to comprehend how Rahman was allowed to slip beneath the radar of police and flee the country.
She said: "I was angry. I don't know how this has happened.
"He didn't turn up to court the last few times. The alarm bells should have been ringing. I don't know how he was allowed to go home."
She added: "Personally, I don't think they will ever find him, Bangladesh is a very big country.
"Even if they do find his location there's a chance he could slip away.
"I'm annoyed the CPS and police are not giving me any answers. Even if it was just to say every six months we are still trying to find him."
"The scary thing is he could still be doing the same thing."
While her attacker's future remains up in the air, Mrs Sharma said she is trying her best to move on.
"I'm glad I went through it and I would encourage others to come forward.
"I am trying to move on with my life and have got my little girl."
A West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: “We can neither confirm or deny plans to extradite an individual until they have been arrested.”
