Wali Muhammed (pictured) of Belgravia, London, denies two counts of sexual assault

An Islamic tutor slipped his hand under a copy of the Koran and groped a 13-year-old girl’s thigh as she read from the holy book, a court heard.

Wali Muhammed, 41, also touched the teenager’s bottom while teaching her at his home in upmarket Belgravia, central London, jurors were told.

The teenager initially thought Muhammed was a ‘bit of a klutz’ - but police were called after she complained to her mother, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Tim Forster, prosecuting, said the girl was first sent to Muhammed’s home to study the Islamic holy book by her mother in October 2014.

He said: ‘The lessons were arranged by her mother and the woman who was supposed to be taking the lessons or giving the lessons was the wife of this defendant.

‘It was her understanding that there would be no one else present apart from other children.

‘As lessons went on the defendant - who is a teacher at a school - would come home and be present during some of the lessons.’

The girl - who cannot be named for legal reasons - was sat on the floor with other pupils while Muhammed was on the sofa.

‘According to the victim the defendant, while sitting on the sofa, would start touching her feet with his feet.

‘Initially she thought that was just him being clumsy or, as she put it, a bit of a klutz.’

But the court heard that Muhammed went on to twice touch the girl in a sexual manner - once on her bottom and once on her thigh.

‘Firstly on one of the occasions she says that as she was kneeling in front of him he touched her bum with, it appears, his foot.

‘On another occasions she says that whilst he was kneeling or sitting down next to her and she had the Koran open in front of her he slid his hand onto her thigh under the Koran.’

The young girl became ‘uncomfortable’ and eventually told her mother about the incidents.

Police were then called who took a statement from the girl.

Muhammed was later arrested and in interview with police denied doing anything improper.

‘In particular he denied touching in any way [the girl] during the course of the lessons,’ Mr Forster said.

‘A teacher who has a child in a classroom and was teaching that child and asking them to read and putting their hand on that child’s lower back or bum or thigh would be questionable behaviour.’

Muhammed, of Semley Place, Belgravia, denies two counts of sexual assault.