Imam beats 9 year old.....

Well, he was misbehaving!

Gulam Hussain, the leader of the Jamia Mosque in Leyton, east London, pleaded guilty to the attack on the boy at Walthamstow magistrates court on Tuesday.

The 44-year-old repeatedly punched and kicked the boy before beating him with the bamboo cane, the court heard. He was jailed for three months.

The court heard that Hussain - who pleaded guilty to common assault - had previously been cautioned for actual bodily harm against an 11 year old in 2005.

Magistrate Dr Paul Davis told Hussain that he was being jailed for the protection of the public after the Imam said that "cultural differences" meant he didn't realise that attacking the small boy in front of other youngsters was wrong.

Rosalind Fox, prosecuting, told the court that Hussain punished the child because he had been misbehaving.

She said: The defendant punched the boy on the shoulder and kicked him on the leg with the flat of his foot.

"The victim said he cried to get the defendant to stop."

Referring to the second attack, she added: "The defendant took a bamboo stick and told him to sit on the floor, then he hit his bare feet several times causing reddening on the feet, which made it painful to walk."

Victoria Burgess, defending, said: "He believed that by having his father's permission made it acceptable. Clearly it doesn't and he realises that now.

She continued: "The offence originated out of cultural difference - a misunderstanding of what he could do with the permission of a parent."