Imam Faruque Ahmed, 46, formerly of Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent (pictured) has been jailed for sexually abusing two schoolgirls

An Islamic tutor who 'routinely' sexually abused two schoolgirls during Arabic lessons has been jailed for 14 years.

Imam Faruque Ahmed, 46, sexually assaulted the two young girls underneath the dining table during their tutoring sessions between 2009 and 2011.

His trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how he would threaten to cane one of the girls if she refused to do what he wanted.

His catalogue of horrendous abuse finally came to light in 2016 when one of them told an NHS mental health nurse what had happened.

Ahmed, formerly of Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, was reported to police and confirmed he taught the pair but denied assaulting them.

He was arrested in February 2017 and found guilty of 10 counts of sexual touching and sexual assault on the two young girls this month. The scholar was jailed for 14 years on Friday.

Local councillor Mohammed Pervez said: 'This has come as a shock in the community.

'He had been living in Cobridge and he was often seen walking along Waterloo Road.

'He was a very quiet person and kept himself to himself. I'm not aware of him being active in the community here.

'It was a shock to learn that a man as quiet and as gentle as him could be involved in something like this.'

Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Sarah West, from West Midlands Police's child abuse unit, said: 'The girls have now got justice for the horrible abuse inflicted on them by Ahmed and are getting the support they need to move on with their lives and they want other survivors of abuse to do the same.

'They felt powerless to speak at the time. They were scared young girls, confused, and didn't really know what was happening.

'They had never had any sex education discussions either with their parents or at school.

'One of the girls described how it was surreal as he abused them under the table while continuing to teach them Arabic.

'He was very calm and natural so no-one would realise there was anything untoward going on.

'But with the passing of time it became clear to them that they had been abused by a sexual predator - and they have now found the courage to speak out to get justice and potentially spare other girls the trauma of suffering at his hands.

'I wish the girls all the very best for their futures and thank them for their courage in speaking out.

'Their brave actions may save other children from being abused and for that they can be rightly proud.'

Ahmed has also been handed a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order that prevents him from working with children and must also sign the Sex Offenders Register for the rest of his life.