MUSLIMS who pledged thousands of pounds for a mosque in Brentwood are to get their money back from the pair who promised to build it.
Imam Miah Rahman and accomplice Mohammed Edoo assured donors their cash would be used to construct a Muslim temple so they would no longer have to worship in a community centre.
The duo denied breach of trust, but a judge at Central London County Court ruled against them and ordered they pay back £32,415.73 with 5 per cent compound interest to be applied from July 2008.
At the trial, which ended on Thursday, the duo were also told to pay £55,000 in costs and had their assets frozen pending repayment.
Angry donors had been left empty-handed when the proposals for the mosque were shelved two years after Rahman and Edoo had received the money, which later mysteriously vanished.
One woman had helped to collect more than £84,000 – the total donations for the project – while two doctors handed over more than £15,000. Yet when they demanded their money back, Rahman argued that the cash was intended as "gifts" and had been used for other Islamic purposes, the court heard.
The Brentwood and South East Cultural Association currently occupies a community hut owned by Brentwood Army Cadets.
Its members, mainly disaffected Muslims, still aspire to have their own place of worship.
This week, a 63-year-old known as Abdool, who helped establish the group, told the Gazette: "This pair brought darkness into the light. We are relieved that justice has been established and that something has been done so they can't con other people.
"Now we have to have time to grieve and get some closure on the matter."
The court heard that Rahman said the cash was for general work supporting Islam in and around Brentwood.
However, Judge Nigel Gerald found that Rahman and Edoo had never had the intention or ability to set up a mosque in the town.
He said: "It seems to me quite clear that these defendants hoped the claimants would cower, rather than face an imam in court.
"But the claimants were made of sterner stuff, being truly committed to the fulfilment of their article of faith."
He added that money had been donated for a specific purpose and that had not materialised.
Judge Gerald said: "It failed some time before July 14, 2008. There was no intention to successfully bid at the auction, because the money had already been spent.
"Money was raised for a specific purpose and it has been misapplied. It was a game of roulette they were playing – they lost."
A total of 13 claimants brought the case against Rahman and Edoo. All were practising Muslims living in and around Brentwood. and Billericay.
Rahman had begun campaigning to have the mosque built in October 2005, encouraging Muslims to donate money in a series of lectures and leaflets.
Worshippers were initially enthusiastic and began digging deep to contribute.
By summer of 2007, a 1.4 acre former garden centre in Pilgrims Hatch had been found as a possible location, but Mr Edoo was outbid at auction the following year.
Following a complaint by Dr Reshma Rasheed, a GP who had given £1,500, police investigated both Rahman and Edoo on suspicion of fraud, but decided against a criminal prosecution.
