St Albans mosque trustees jailed for attacking worshipper

(Clockwise) Mohammed Choudhury, Mohammed Anam, Ali Choudhury, Mohammed Mortuza

Four trustees of a mosque have been jailed after attacking a worshipper who was unhappy they were using the site during lockdown.

The victim, a 48-year-old man, was lured to the mosque in Hatfield Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, on 4 June 2020.

He suffered three broken ribs in the attack and spent two weeks in hospital.

The four men were convicted of GBH with intent after a seven-week trial at St Albans Crown Court.

The men were sentenced as below:

• Mohammed Anam, 49, of Holyrood Crescent, St Albans, jailed for four-and-a-half years

• Mohammed Mortuza, 50, of Alexander Road, London Colney, jailed for four years and nine months

• Ali Choudhury, 49, of Wilshire Avenue, St Albans, jailed for three years

• Mohammed Choudhury, 67, of Cell Barnes Lane, St Albans, sentenced to three years in prison

Mohammed Choudhury and Mohammed Anam were also found guilty of perverting the course of justice on 5 June 2020, when they both lied to police about CCTV, which had been removed before police could access it.

Mohammed Mortuza pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by encouraging a co-defendant to lie to police and Mohammed Anam was also found guilty of attempted victim intimidation after he came across the victim in Morrisons car park in St Albans.

A fifth defendant, Faisal Ahmed, 31, of Gorham Drive in St Albans, was found guilty of inflicting GBH and was given a 12-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months.

The court heard the trustees of the Jamie Masjid and Bangladeshi Mosque closed the building during lockdown but still met there themselves.

The victim was attacked after being lured to the mosque on 4 June 2020

The victim used social media to try to undermine the board and put his own padlock on the gates of the building, the court heard.

He was lured to the mosque at night and forced behind the gates where he was attacked.

Judge Michael Roques said: "Each one of the defendants was an upstanding member of the community both in the Bangladeshi and within the wider community. It is extraordinary that they find themselves before the courts."

He told them: "You made the decision the mosque should be closed during lockdown - that decision did not find favour with the victim and messages were exchanged.

"That situation was made worse by your ill-advised decision to attend the mosque together when it was not open to other worshippers."