The Sunyani Magistrate Court 'B' has sentenced a self-styled pastor, Joseph Boakye, 42, of the Holy Cherubim and Seraphim Healing Church of Ghana into six months imprisonment for indecent assault and defrauding a 28-year-old woman.

The court presided over by Mr Albert Zoogah, ordered the convict to pay a compensation of ¢1 million to the woman, a farmer.

The convict, who during his trial, was disowned by the church as one of its pastors, decided to bathe the complainant as part of a ritual for her healing and took undue advantage to sexually assault her.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kwaku Amoako, the prosecutor told the court that the complainant was a farmer and a resident at Atronie, while Boakye, claimed to be a pastor in-charge of the Atronie branch of the Cherubim and Seraphim Healing Church of Ghana.

He said the complainant had been sick for some time and all efforts made to cure her had proved futile.

ASP Amoako, who is also the Regional Director of the Domestic Violence Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), said the complainant's sister who is also a member of the church introduced the former to the pastor for healing.

He told the court that the accused demanded ¢70,000, Six Flowers perfumed spray, coconut, salt, lime and a bucketful of water from a river to perform the healing. On December 9, 2006 the complainant in the company of her daughter sent the ¢70,000 to the convict. He requested for more of the items for the healing, which she provided and asked her to come on December 11, 2006 at about 6.30 p.m. for the rituals.

ASP Amoako said based on the date and the time set, the complainant went to the convict for the start of the healing and the convict mixed the Six Flowers spray, the coconut, salt, lime with the bucket of the river water and took it to the bathroom at the mission house and invited the complainant there.

When she entered, the convict asked her to strip naked but she refused. He managed to convince her to do so and asked her to squat.

ASP Amoako said the convict started to insert his fingers into the private part of the complainant and acting as if pouring the water on her. The complainant resisted and shouted, and asked the accused what he was doing.

He said the accused then removed his male organ, went behind the complainant and started rubbing it against her buttocks but the complainant resisted again, shouted and rushed out of the bathroom with her dress.

A report was made to the police and the convict was arrested.

Source: The Mirror