A religious teacher has been charged with ten assaults on children at a Keighley mosque.

It comes after secret video footage, which appeared to show children being beaten, was shown on a Channel Four Dispatches programme in February, prompting a police investigation.

The 59-year-old Keighley man, who was an imam at the Markazi Jamia mosque, in Emily Street, will appear before Keighley magistrates on Thursday, June 2, charged with committing ten offences of common assault in December last year.

The religious teacher, who was employed by the Keighley Muslim Association and is no longer working at the mosque, was given police bail after being charged yesterday.

Councillor Khadim Hussain (Lab, Keighley Central) attends the mosque and has been working closely with members and trustees since the allegations were made.

He said in the community there had been a “mixed reaction” to the news that the religious teacher had been charged.

He said: “In some areas there is dismay and shock at this.”

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