An Ilford headteacher who let a London Bridge terrorist attempt to radicalise her primary school pupils has been banned from the classroom for life.
Sophie Rahman of Eton Community School, Oxford Road, allowed Khuram Butt, 27, to deliver after-school classes about Jihad, the Qu’ran and non-believers.
He taught the young children alone for two hours, up to three times a week and his final class was the day before he killed eight people and injured 48 in London on Saturday, June 3, 2017, with his accomplices Youssef Zaghba and Rachid Redouan.
All three were shot by armed police.
A Teaching Regulation Agency professional conduct panel heard that Butt had taught children that ‘the worst creatures are the Kuffar (non-believers)’. He told the pupils it was ok to lie to their parents when there was a state of war or if they didn’t want to upset them.
The panel heard evidence from witnesses who knew or assessed the children targeted at the independent Muslim day school- formerly known as Ad-Deen Primary School.
One witness was “alarmed” that Butt spoke to the children about “war” and said she is in “no doubt he was referring to Jihad (holy war).”
The panel noted that Butt employed “grooming behaviour” and manipulative language typical of abusers who “try and create trust and build unhealthy relationships with young people”.
“By her failure to safeguard her pupils’ interests, Ms Rahman left them potentially vulnerable to grooming for radicalisation,” the report said.
Rahman also misled police about a relationship with a person referred to as ‘Individual S’, who was linked to a jihadist group. He had been the proprietor of the school and belonged to Al-Muhajiroun before it became a banned organisation. He was also the father of Rahman’s children.
Ms Rahman has 28 days to lodge an appeal to the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court.
