A Muslim teacher who sexually abused a 12-year-old girl during religious lessons has been jailed and banned from teaching children.

Jabir Ahmed Jolpikar’s social standing and his career giving one-to-one prayer instruction to children in York and elsewhere were now in ruins, York Crown Court heard.

But the decision of the girl’s father to go to the police and the girl’s courage in giving evidence against Jabir Ahmed Jolpikar may have led to them being ostracised by their community.

Peter Cleasby, prosecuting, said the father initially thought Jolpikar’s conduct could be dealt with within his community, but when he realised it was not being treated seriously enough, he went to the police.

Recorder Guy Kearl QC said Jolpikar had abused the trust placed in him when the girl’s parents allowed him to teach her alone in their York home. He kissed her on the mouth and assaulted her sexually on two other occasions.

The judge said: “You were pleasant when others were around, but that changed when you were alone with her, culminating in these sexual assaults and you were persistent in your behaviour. You may well have lost your standing in the community. You have shown no remorse.”

He jailed Jolpikar for 12 months and put him on the sex offenders’ register for ten years. He also made a five-year sexual offences prevention order which bans Jolpikar from giving religious education to children under 16, having any unsupervised contact with children or seeking or taking any employment that could lead to him having unsupervised access with children, among other conditions.

Jolpikar, 28, of Sylhet Close, Bradford, denied three charges of sexually assaulting a child under 13, but was convicted by a York jury.

Jolpikar’s barrister, Mark Bury, said: “He comes from a very respectable background. The shame of any custodial sentence will be felt keenly.

“He is a perfectly normal, decent man who is something of an asset to the community.”

He said prison would be hard for Jolpikar because he spoke very little English.