Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 10 April 2014

Source: Daily Guide

Pastor rapes unconscious student after applying ‘anointing oil’

Pastor Isaac Asante, the 25-year-old man accused of having sex with a 19-year-old student of Akwamuman Senior High School has appeared before an Accra Magistrate Court.

Asante is said to have raped the victim after giving her some “anointing oil” to drink ostensibly to protect her from demonic attacks.

Charged with rape, Asante, who was not represented by a counsel, had his plea reserved and was remanded into police custody to reappear on April 22.

This was after the prosecution had prayed the court not to take his plea because a duplicate docket was being forwarded to the Attorney General’s office for advice.

Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) A. A. Annor told the court presided over by Christine Eyiah Donkor that the complainant (name withheld), is a 19-year-old student of Akwamuman Senior High School and a resident of North Kaneshie Dance Bar in Accra while the accused, Isaac Asante, is a pastor and student of MC Jakes Theological and Ministerial Bible College at Sowutoum and also resides at Tabora Alhaji – all suburbs of Accra.

He said the accused got to know the complainant through “tango,’ a social media platform, sometime in January 2014 and introduced him­self as a pastor under training at the aforementioned college.

He stated that Pastor Asante further explained to the complainant that he had seen “something” concerning her life and that until he had said some prayers, the “thing” could not be broken.

According to the prosecutor, the accused then asked the complainant to come over to his place at Tabora Alhaji with coconut water and a bottle of anointing oil for special prayers and she obliged.

DSP Annor pointed out that the accused allegedly prayed over the items and handed them over to the complainant to carry on her wherever she went.

He stated that at about 5.30 pm on 12 March, 2014, Pastor Asante met the complainant around Tabora Alhaji lorry park and told her that the area was too noisy and so lured her to Maxhan Movie House for ‘further prayers.’

DSP A.A. Annor averred that whiles in one of the rooms, the accused took a red handkerchief and a new bottle of anointing oil and after some prayers, poured some of the content for the complainant to drink.

He said the accused then administered a portion of the same oil onto the red handkerchief and placed it on the bed and asked her to lie on it, adding that minutes later, the complainant felt dizzy, weak and slept off only to wake up later to realize that Pastor Asante had had sexual intercourse with her.

According to the prosecutor, the accused warned the complainant not to shout as he threatened to kill her if she called for help.

However, the complainant managed to push off the accused person and rushed to the door in an attempt to escape but it was locked. The accused saw blood running down the legs of the victim and used the Red handkerchief to clean the blood after which he led the complainant into a taxi to send her home, the prosecutor told the court.

The prosecutor further told the court that the case was reported at the Tesano Police Station where the victim was issued with a Medical Form that she sent to the Police Hospital.

DSP A. A. Annor intimated that the medical report confirmed that the complainant’s underwear was soaked with blood; had blood stains on her legs and her hymen disrupt­ed.

He said the accused was subsequently arrested and upon interrogation, admitted the offence.