News / National
Pastor arrested for rape during church service
17 Mar 2017 at 10:25hrs | Views
A SENIOR pastor with Prophet Adventure Mutepfa's Revival Centre World Mission Church David Waerera (32) was on Sunday arrested during a church service on rape charges, Manica Post reported.
The Mutare pastor is accused of raping a married congregate right inside the church.
The victim is a caretaker who used to work at the church.
According to a Manica Post report, uniformed police officers stormed into the church and arrested the pastor while he was preaching leaving worhipers shocked.
He was detained at the police station for two nights and was brought to court on Tuesday morning.
Deputy Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Luxson Chananda, said Waerera was accused of raping a married woman inside the church building sometime in November last year.
"It is alleged that sometime in November, the suspect went to the church when the complainant was alone at home. He asked her to accompany him into the church and she agreed.
While inside the church building, the suspect forced himself on the complainant and raped her once. After committing the crime, he threatened her with unspecified action if she ever divulged the rape to anyone," said Chananda.
The matter only came to light on February 26 after the complainant's husband began to suspect that something could have happened between his wife and the pastor.
The woman spilled the beans and divulged everything to her husband leading to the pastor's arrest.
However, the case took a dramatic twist at the Mutare Magistrates' Courts on Tuesday morning when the prosecution department turned down the matter on the basis that there was no enough evidence to book the matter for initial remand.
The Mutare pastor is accused of raping a married congregate right inside the church.
The victim is a caretaker who used to work at the church.
According to a Manica Post report, uniformed police officers stormed into the church and arrested the pastor while he was preaching leaving worhipers shocked.
He was detained at the police station for two nights and was brought to court on Tuesday morning.
Deputy Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Luxson Chananda, said Waerera was accused of raping a married woman inside the church building sometime in November last year.
"It is alleged that sometime in November, the suspect went to the church when the complainant was alone at home. He asked her to accompany him into the church and she agreed.
While inside the church building, the suspect forced himself on the complainant and raped her once. After committing the crime, he threatened her with unspecified action if she ever divulged the rape to anyone," said Chananda.
The matter only came to light on February 26 after the complainant's husband began to suspect that something could have happened between his wife and the pastor.
The woman spilled the beans and divulged everything to her husband leading to the pastor's arrest.
However, the case took a dramatic twist at the Mutare Magistrates' Courts on Tuesday morning when the prosecution department turned down the matter on the basis that there was no enough evidence to book the matter for initial remand.
Source - Manica Post
