Priest Cleared of Sex Offence Charges after Prosecution Offers No Evidence

By John Shammas
The Get West London
December 16, 2013

http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/priest-cleared-sex-offence-charges-6410109




A Hindu priest and well-known community leader who was facing sex offence charges has cleared his name.

The 42-year-old Gurudev Rajesh Parmar, founder of Hindu temple the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Palmerston Road, Wealdstone, was acquitted on Friday of charges of assault causing actual bodily harm, a charge of conspiring to commit sexual offences and a charge for perverting the course of justice.

The Hindu priest, who lives in Headstone Drive, appeared at Harrow Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing for the charges to which he had denied.

A trial was expected to be scheduled for next year, but the case will now not go ahead.

After being cleared, Parmar told the Observer: "The case has been thrown out because there is no such kind of evidence.

"People tried to discredit me. I work with the community and I try to help people of all faiths so it was a shock.

"To all the inter-faith communities in Harrow I just want to say thank you to all those who have helped me."