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Man convicted of sexually abusing two children in St. Louis Hills

His sentencing is scheduled for August 19.

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis jury found a man guilty Thursday of randomly sexually abusing two boys in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood.

A jury found Haji Gul Osmani, 34, guilty of first-degree sodomy, sexual abuse of a child and fourth-degree assault. He was found not guilty on two other counts.

Osmani has lived in St. Louis since December 2021, when he arrived from Afghanistan with his wife and four children. There were several delays in court due to scheduling conflicts with the only two certified interpreters who speak Pashto.

According to police, Osmani abducted a disabled six-year-old boy from his bicycle in an alley behind his house on July 23 and sexually abused him. He was arrested on July 28.

Osmani is also accused of attacking a 12-year-old boy the previous week. The boy told police that Osmani put him in a headlock during a game at Francis Park but escaped.

He was also acquitted of two other charges related to an attack that allegedly occurred the previous year sometime between September 1 and October 31, 2022, in the 3900 block of Donovan Avenue – just two blocks from where his last known attack occurred in July.

The child in that case came forward around the time police released surveillance photos of Osmani to the public, but police said it took several more months to build the case around him. The child said Osmani pushed them into a bathroom stall and rubbed his body against them.

The jury found Osmani not guilty of fourth-degree assault and second-degree attempted child abuse in that incident.

His sentencing was scheduled for August 19.

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