Mum discovered convicted child sex offender masturbating in church as she dropped toddler off at playgroup
Mohamed Ali, 44, was seen sitting in the foyer reading a newspaper before exposing himself and masturbating
A horrified mum found a convicted child sex offender masturbating in a church foyer as she dropped her toddler off at a playgroup, a court heard.
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The woman had taken her one-year-old to a children’s group at Guardian Angels Church in Mile End on 26 February when she encountered Mohamed Ali.
Snaresbrook Crown Court heard the mum accidentally entered through the church’s main entrance rather than the rear entrance used by the playgroup.
Prosecutor Sam Lyon said: “She saw a man and asked if this was the right entrance. The male replied, ‘I am a sex offender’, and the mother left straight away.”
The incident was reported to the church, which reviewed CCTV footage.
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Mr Lyon said Ali, 44, was seen sitting in the foyer reading a newspaper before exposing himself and masturbating.
He was arrested months after the incident, when a police officer identified him.
Ali has amassed 136 convictions since 2000, including for causing a child to engage in a sexual act, the court heard.
He pleaded guilty to recklessly causing a public nuisance and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Appearing via video link from prison, Ali denied intending to expose himself to children.
He told the court: “I never went to church to have a wank in front of children.”
Judge Leslie Cuthbert accepted that Ali had not deliberately targeted children, but said he had chosen to masturbate at a location where children were present.
Ali blamed “the state” for his offending and said he was homeless, claiming he had nowhere private to masturbate.
He also alleged, without evidence, that the mother was part of a vigilante group following him.
Judge Cuthbert said Ali’s claimed remorse was undermined by his efforts to blame others.
He said: “The only thing that appears to stop you from committing further offences is prison, so I cannot suspend this sentence.”