A Birmingham-based secondary school maths teacher has been sentenced to three years after being convicted of grooming three female students.
Thirty-year-old Muhammad Taimoor used his position as a teacher to groom 16-year-old girls. Judge Roderick Henderson commented: ‘It was the grossest breach of trust and it was at a significant time for these girls as it led up to their exams that are critical for the rest of their lives.’ Two of the affected students disclosed the teacher’s behaviours to another member of school staff on 09.05.2022, leading to his arrest. He was charged five days later.
Taimoor groomed and sexually assaulted the female students both on and off the school premises. The teacher allowed the students to spend time with him in his classroom rather than attending timetabled classes. He allowed them to use their mobile phones and vapes, and provided them with chocolates and doughnuts. Away from CCTV, Taimoor would complement their appearances, calling them ‘sexy’ and ‘beautiful’, and ask for hugs. Taimoor created a group on popular social media platform Snapchat; Prosecution Matthew Barnes noted that Taimoor would use the group to send intimate photographs of himself and request the same of his students between January and May of this year.
One student told the court how her teacher grabbed her by the bottom and asked if she was ticklish. He would also grab her waist from behind. Another student described Taimoor slapping her bottom and trying to put his hand inside her top whilst hugging her, waiting for her outside the bathrooms, and running a ruler up her upper thigh. When the teacher asked for a nude photograph, the victim had sent him a photo of her chest, wearing a bra. A third student described Taimoor touching her breasts while re-fixing a sticker on her chest, playfully slapping her face, and pretending to cry if she rejected him. Taimoor tried to unzip one student’s top on more than one occasion, whilst sat with her in his car in different quiet locations. He told her that he trusted her and that ‘his life was in her hands’.
Taimoor admitted to eleven charges of sexual assault in Birmingham Crown Court, and denied two charges of sexual abuse of a fourth female student. The denied charges were accepted by the prosecution but will remain on file.
The affected individuals were young and vulnerable, and exposed to potentially traumatic experiences. They have reported suffering anxiety, sleeping problems, and affected GCSEs. One student needed to move away from the area of the school. They continue to be supported through the long-term effects of the abuse. Training DC Megan Davies, from the West Midlands Police Child Abuse Investigation team, commented: ‘We commend their bravery in coming forward and helping to ensure his successful prosecution’. She called Taimoor’s behaviour an ‘appalling abuse of trust and power’.
The NSPCC hopes ‘Taimoor’s sentence will encourage other young people who have suffered in a similar way to speak out and seek support’. Alongside his sentencing on the 13 September 2022, Taimoor was placed on the Sex Offender’s Register, where he will remain for life.
Here at Farleys, we see all too often, cases of abuse by teachers and understand the devastating impact these experiences can have on survivors. We have a specialist team on hand to listen and advise those who have experienced abuse, whether at school, home, sports clubs, or religious institutions, on their next steps in pursuing a claim for damages. To discuss your case in confidence, please call our dedicated abuse line on 0330 134 6430, contact us by email, or use the online chat below.
