Former Pastor Convicted of Multiple Sexual Offenses
A former church pastor from Scotland has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women, including one parishioner he claimed was possessed by demons. The defendant, aged 61 and originally from Zimbabwe, led an international religious organization he founded and committed his offenses over a six‐year period.
Case Overview
A jury at the High Court in Livingston convicted the pastor on several charges, including attempted rape, indecent assault, and sexual assault. The offenses, which occurred between January 2006 and July 2012, culminated in his immediate remand in custody. His sentencing is set for a later date, and the judge indicated that his name is likely to remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely because of both the duration and severity of his crimes.
Victim Testimonies
One of the women, now 39, testified that the abuse began when she was 20 while living in Stirling. She recalled how the pastor repeatedly told her that God had given her to him and that she did not need a boyfriend. During his sessions—described as “church surgeries”—he asserted that divine instructions compelled him to love her in any way she desired. She detailed that his misconduct started with him forcing his tongue into her mouth, striking her, and eventually attempting to rape her by pulling down her trousers and underwear in his bedroom. Although she initially froze, she managed to escape.
She also related an incident at his mansion in Sauchieburn, where he made her place her hand on his penis over his clothing. This residence, valued at approximately £500,000, was frequently used for his healing sessions. Additionally, her husband testified that when they confronted the pastor—following local traditions for seeking accountability—he responded by prostrating himself on the floor and asking them to pray for him while expressing remorse in an unusual manner.
A second victim, aged 58, recounted an encounter from nearly two decades ago. Seeking help for her husband’s immigration issues, she approached him for prayer. Instead, he claimed that God had given her to him as a gift and ordered her to kiss him while groping her under the pretense of casting out demons and bestowing blessings.
Background and Lifestyle
Before his career as a religious leader, the pastor worked as a university lecturer in accounting at Stirling University. In 2007, he established the Agape for All Nations Church, a Pentecostal ministry that eventually expanded to serve over 2,000 members across parts of the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and several African nations. He portrayed himself as an archbishop, earning a salary comparable to that of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and led a lifestyle marked by frequent international travel to visit fellow pastors and deliver sermons. Within his congregation, he was known by titles such as “the prophet,” “the apostle,” and “a man of God.”
Legal Outcomes and Prior Incidents
The jury reached a majority verdict on the attempted rape charge and unanimous decisions on the other counts. Following the verdict, Judge Susan Craig revoked his bail without delay, condemning his conduct as appalling and ordering further background investigations and a risk assessment that may lead to an extended sentence. Although he had not been previously convicted at the time of the trial, records revealed that he was found guilty in 2015 of similar offenses at the Church of Agape, including incidents involving a church deaconess and a schoolgirl during an exorcism session. That conviction had resulted in community service and registration as a sex offender before being overturned on appeal due to concerns over the justice process.
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