The trial of Pastor James Nana Akwasi Agyemang, leader of Shiva Linga Church based in Abidjan who allegedly defiled eight girls and absconded, began at an Accra High Court on Wednesday. Stephen Yaw Pepera, father of three of the victims, mounted the witness box to narrate circumstances leading to Pastor Agyemang’s arrest. Pepera, first prosecution witness and member of the church, told the court that the accused never took his children, as promised, to school, but only sexually abused them. Led in evidence by Evelyn Keelson, Principal State Attorney, Pepera said he and the accused were engaged in the sale of herbal medicines, stressing that the accused paid him accordingly, and he preached anytime the accused was out of Abidjan. The witness said because he and Agyemang worked together, the accused promised to take care of three of his children in Ghana so they could attend good schools. Pepera said in 2006, the accused told him that he wanted to run an orphanage and wanted some of his (Pepra) children to live with him at his house at Saint John’s in Accra. Pastor Agyemang told him that he wanted only girls to live in his house at St John’s and that he would include boys later. The witness said one of the victims however returned to Abidjan after visiting the accused in Ghana, and informed Mary Anaglatey, a mother of two of the victims, about the ordeal the children were going through. Mary in turn told Pepera about the victim’s claims, adding that after returning to Abidjan, the victim realised that she was urinating often and that her panties always attracted flies. Mary told him that she suspected that the victim was suffering from candidiasis, hence decided to treat her with boiled water. The witness said Mary however inspected the victim’s vagina and realised that she was not suffering from candidiasis, but had rather been defiled. Pepera said to confirm the victim’s story, he, together with Mary, called her and she told them of her plight and that of the other victims. He then called Bismark Sarpong, driver of the accused, to allow him to speak to his two daughters in Ghana. Pepera said his children confirmed the matter and pleaded with him to come for them or else they would die. The children told him that the accused had threatened them not to inform anyone about their ordeal or else they would become mad, and threatened them with dreadful pictures of some deities. “When I asked Sarpong whether he was aware of what the accused had been doing to the victims, he denied any knowledge,” the witness said. Pepera said when the accused returned to Abidjan and was confronted, he denied ever defiling any of the eight children. Pastor Agyemang claimed that because he had commented on the alleged divorce of Archbishop Duncan Williams, he was being harassed by the public. The witness said the accused noted that because people were peddling lies that he had defiled the victims, the police and journalists were after him. After listening to the accused person’s excuses, the witness said he and Mary Anaglatey went to Ghana and lodged a complaint with the police. “Following the report, the accused was arrested and put before court, granted bail but escaped. I vowed to look for him but did not succeed,” the witness said. Pepra said he had heard about ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and therefore approached him to help arrest the accused. “I suffered before reaching Anas but through his efforts the accused was arrested at Sunyani,” he said. During cross-examination by Victor Kwadwoga Adawudu, counsel for the accused, the witness denied being an associate pastor of the accused. He maintained that he got to know the accused through Sarpong. The accused, who is facing eight counts of defilement, pleaded not guilty and was remanded into police custody. He escaped after being granted bail in 2007, but was nabbed with the assistance of ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas. Research reveals that Lord Shiva is a major Hindu deity with creative powers and is often symbolized by fused male and female genitals, indicating fertility. The case has been adjourned to Monday, March 26.