Accra, Jan. 20, GNA - There was uncontrollable weeping and an atmosphere of gloom at the precincts of an Accra Circuit Court on Thursday when Nana Kofi Yirenkyi, aka "Jesus One Touch", Founder and General Overseer of Jesus Blood Prophetic Ministries at Oblogo was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for incest and defilement. The court room was filled to capacity with members of his congregation, some of them standing outside the courtroom in anticipation that the accused would be acquitted and discharged. However, when the verdict was pronounced, a member of the church seated among the audience screamed, forcing the trial judge, Mrs Georgina Mensah Datsa to ask her "to go out if you cannot take the heat".

The judge told Nana Yirenkyi that the decision was "not the end of your life" and that he could appeal to a higher court if he pleased to do so.

Outside the courtroom, people were wailing and raining curses on the complainant for "falsely accusing" their Pastor. Nana Yirenkyi's wife, weeping bitterly was led away by her friends and some members of the church, who tried to console her. As he was led out of the courtroom by some policemen he kept saying that he was innocent of the charges. As the crowd, mostly church members and journalists rushed to catch a glimpse of him the armed policemen whisked him into a waiting vehicle which sped off immediately. Pastor Frank Adu Boahen, Resident Pastor of Jesus Blood Prophetic Ministries, expressed sorrow at the verdict saying that it was the verdict of men and not of God.

"God is the final judge, he will intervene," he said, adding "Someone is responsible for the way the verdict has gone." Pastor Nobleman Appiah, Assistant Resident Pastor, urged church members to continue to support the convict through prayers, adding that perhaps there was a purpose for which he was being imprisoned. "The inmates at the prison also need salvation," he added. Mr K.N. Adomako Acheampong, Defence Counsel, said the judgement was a very bad one. "Today is a sad day for the rule of law, right from the start, the intention of everyone was to have him jailed," he said. He insisted that the defence had given cogent evidence and were expecting that the accused would be acquitted and discharged. Mr Adomako Acheampong said the judge had failed to touch the issue of Dr Amoo Mensah's evidence which showed that it was not possible for the victim to have been defiled as the damage to her hymen had not affected any other organ like the vulva and thus could not have been caused by penile penetration.

He said the judge also failed to consider the evidence given by Police Inspector Mohammed Ali Balah of Akropong-Akwapim Divisional Police that the complainant had confessed that the victim had been fingered by one Efo. Mr Acheampong said the defence would appeal against the judgement.