'Holy Man' Jailed for Raping 13-Year-Old Girl...

A self-styled holy man who boasted of magical powers sank sobbing to his knees as he was locked up for nine and a half years for raping a 13-year-old girl in a prayer room.

Syed Bukhari was led weeping to the cells after a judge at Bradford Crown Court said his “wicked” crime fully exploited the vulnerability of his child victim.

Bukhari, 29, of Sewell Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford, claimed he had special powers that could help the girl’s parents overcome their marital difficulties, prosecutor Nick Askins told the court today.

He visited the girl’s mother at her home in the West Midlands and persuaded her to allow the 13-year-old and her younger brother to stay with him in Bradford.

“The defendant held himself out as a man who possessed magical powers and could assist the family with their domestic difficulties,” said Mr Askins.

Bukhari, a factory worker, bought the girl a phone and her brother a toy before taking them to the house in Sewell Road in late December last year.

He and the girl went into what appeared to be a prayer room, Mr Askins said.

Bukhari said he needed to talk to her about magic and told her there was something she needed to do for her own good and that of her family.

He told her to take off her clothes before turning out the light and sexually assaulting her.

He then raped her on a towel, putting his hand over her mouth when she screamed in pain.

Bukhari threatened: “If you tell anyone, something bad will happen.”

Mr Askins said the frightened child, who was previously a virgin, told no-one until on January 20 she confided her ordeal to a police officer.

Bukhari, who was cautioned for kerb crawling on December 16 last year, pleaded guilty to rape.

His barrister, David McGonigal, said Bukhari felt shame and remorse.

He knew he had caused hurt and grief to the girl and her family Judge John Potter told Bukhari his claims to be a holy man who could provide spiritual guidance were “nothing more than a charade”.

He had abused the girl’s trust in a place many miles from her home.

Sentencing him, Judge Potter said: “It was, Mr Bukhari, a most wicked act in which a particularly vulnerable child was raped by you, causing her significant harm.”