A Pastor is under police investigation after a family claimed he was having a sexual relationship with their 15-yearold daughter.
The Baptist minister was confronted at his church on Sunday by male relatives who claimed he sent obscene text messages to the girl.
In them, it was claimed, he had made indecent references to a part of his anatomy.
Family sources claimed that the pastor had been molesting the girl over a 15-month period, during which time he was supposed to be counselling her.
Yesterday, Chief Supt Marvin Dames, officer-in-charge of CDU, confirmed that a complaint had been filed. He said he was not able to discuss the matter further.
According to a relative, the girl had confessed to a church member and her mother about the affair.
The girl’s family had noticed behavioural changes that aroused their suspicion. They also felt that the pastor had become “over-enthusiastic” in his dealings with the girl.
When confronted, the girl had admitted the relationship, but indicated there was “a level of coercion” on the pastor’s part.
It was also claimed that the girl had turned over a cellphone which contained numerous voice and text messages between her and the pastor.
Upon viewing the messages, the family went to the church to question the pastor on Sunday morning.
A source claimed that male relatives, some armed with cutlasses; confronted the pastor in church. Police were called.
It was alleged that sexual encounters between the pair had taken place in the church sanctuary.
The family was asked to accompany officers to a police station for questioning.
According to a well-placed source, on Sunday the pastor underwent “prolonged interrogation” by police. He is said to have confessed to the relationship. “His wife almost went mad when she found out,” added the source. The girl was said to have been uncontrollable and was referred by her family to the pastor when she was 14 for “counselling and consoling.”
“Unfortunately, the consoling part of the arrangement appears to have gone too far,” said the source. “The family is alleging molestation and full sexual intercourse between the pastor and the girl over a 15-month period.”
Having allegedly confessed to a prolonged relationship with the girl, who is now 16, the pastor is likely to face a charge of “statutory rape”, said the ļ¾ source.
A relative told The Tribune that “justice should prevail” and that the pastor should apologise to his church and to the girl’s family.
A family friend said: “This is all part of the sordid underbelly of this society. It just gets worse. There is a veneer of religiosity but no moral foundation.”
The Tribune
