Serial predator posed as trusted tutor to sexually abuse girls as young as eight

Friday, 8 August 2025 20:48

By David Murphy

A private tutor who abused five girls over a decade while giving maths and Quran lessons has been jailed for 14 years following a Manchester Crown Court trial

A Cheetham Hill man who sexually assaulted five girls over a ten-year period while working as a private tutor has been sentenced to 14 years behind bars.

Umair Iqbal, 37, of Leicester Road, was convicted of 29 counts of sexual assault involving girls aged between eight and 18. He was found guilty following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court in July, and sentenced on Thursday 7 August 2025.

Iqbal must serve two-thirds of an 11-year custodial sentence before becoming eligible for release. A further three years will be served on extended licence. He has also been made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and multiple restraining orders protecting all five victims and their families.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that the sexual assaults took place between 2010 and 2020, during which time Iqbal offered one-to-one lessons in the victims’ homes. His role as a private Quran and maths tutor granted him access to vulnerable children and the trust of their families.

The first report came to police in October 2020 from a 15-year-old girl who had been abused but believed, for years, that it was somehow her fault. Once she told her family and contacted police, an investigation by Rochdale’s multi-agency Sunrise safeguarding team revealed four more victims, including one who had suffered abuse from the age of just eight.

Detective Constable Alex Dodd, who led the investigation, said: “All five victims were young Muslim girls from good families, abused by a person in a position of trust and silenced through fear of getting in trouble or being blamed.”

“Iqbal befriended families and used the good reputation of a community to hide behind his sordid sexual agenda.”

Rochdale’s safeguarding team worked closely with GMP officers, children’s services, youth workers, social workers, and health and housing professionals to support the victims and build the case.

“This was a deeply distressing process for the victims and their families,” added DC Dodd. “I want to personally recognise their strength and determination in pursuing justice.”

The police have urged anyone else who may have been targeted by Iqbal to come forward and report their experiences, quoting ‘Operation Ganister’ when calling 101.

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