News / Africa
Pastor gets 10 years for rape
01 Aug 2015 at 17:49hrs | Views
A 61-year-old pastor in Selebi Pikwe was on Tuesday sentenced to 10 years for raping a minor, while duping her into believing he was healing her from sejeso (poisoning).
DNA tests also proved that the pastor impregnated his victim as a result of the offence, with a child subsequently born.
Chief Magistrate Peggy Madundume found Otsetswe Samson of Semotswane village, guilty of a single count of rape and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
According to the victim, who was 16 at the time of the offence in April 2005, her parents brought her before Samson for healing after she complained of pains in her stomach. Samson said he could heal the girl, but requested the parents to allow her to come forward for healing on her own.
Once at Samson's house, the pastor began bathing the complainant and instructed her to lie down for him to apply Vaseline on her body. He then raped her for three consecutive days, while threatening that something bad would happen to her if she reported to anyone.
The court heard that the complainant later reported the matter to a friend who subsequently told the parents who then involved police officers.
For his part, Samson initially denied having sexual intercourse with the complainant without her consent saying she had come to him for an abortion, as she was already pregnant. "I refused.
"I only agreed to take responsibility for the pregnancy because she promised me some money. By the time I had sex with her, she was already pregnant," he said.
However, in his mitigation Samson conceded his guilt and told the court that he had failed to control his libido as his wife had died in previous years.
"I got aroused and found myself all over her without a plan to do so," he said.
Samson pleaded with the court to be lenient saying he was taking care of his mother, a child and his congregation.
DNA tests also proved that the pastor impregnated his victim as a result of the offence, with a child subsequently born.
Chief Magistrate Peggy Madundume found Otsetswe Samson of Semotswane village, guilty of a single count of rape and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
According to the victim, who was 16 at the time of the offence in April 2005, her parents brought her before Samson for healing after she complained of pains in her stomach. Samson said he could heal the girl, but requested the parents to allow her to come forward for healing on her own.
Once at Samson's house, the pastor began bathing the complainant and instructed her to lie down for him to apply Vaseline on her body. He then raped her for three consecutive days, while threatening that something bad would happen to her if she reported to anyone.
For his part, Samson initially denied having sexual intercourse with the complainant without her consent saying she had come to him for an abortion, as she was already pregnant. "I refused.
"I only agreed to take responsibility for the pregnancy because she promised me some money. By the time I had sex with her, she was already pregnant," he said.
However, in his mitigation Samson conceded his guilt and told the court that he had failed to control his libido as his wife had died in previous years.
"I got aroused and found myself all over her without a plan to do so," he said.
Samson pleaded with the court to be lenient saying he was taking care of his mother, a child and his congregation.
Source - Mmengi
