NO LAWYER FOR KIDS BONKING PASTOR

By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba

Pastor James Nana Akwasi Agyemang, the head Pastor for the Ghana Branch of the Shiva Linga Church, Abijan, Ivory-Cost who was remanded in custody by an Accra Fast Track High Court for defiling eight children between the ages of three and 12 has yesterday begged the Court to allow him two days to procure a lawyer to defend him in court.

The accused who is standing trial for having sexual intercourse with eight children under the age of three and 12 was remanded and asked to look for a lawyer to defend him.

But when the case was called, Pastor Akwesi Agyemang told the presiding judge, Mr. Justice Charles Quist that,  he has since not been able to hire a lawyer  and  however, begged  the court to give him up to  tomorrow, Wednesday March 21,   for he has contacted a lawyer who has assured to appear for him .

The prosecutor, Mrs. Evelyn Keelson did not oppose the request and the presiding judge, Mr. Justice Quist, adjourned the case to Wednesday March 21, for the accused to appear with his lawyer for the interest of justices.

 James Nana Akwasi Agyemang, who claimed to be a pastor with the Shiva Linga Church in Abijan  in Ivory-Cost, but based in its Ghana branch, was charged with eight counts for defiling children under the age of 16 and absconding bail contrary to the criminal offence Act1960 of Act 29, but he  pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

The prosecution case was that the accused runs a prayer group in the country as a branch of the Shiva Linga Church, while the complainants in the case are also either members of the church or was associated with the church through his prayer group.

According to Mrs. Keelson, the prosecutor, while in Ghana, the accused lived with a number of children at his residence at St.John’s near Dome in Accra and the children who are between the age of 3 and 12 years were all brought from Abijan and other parts of the country to live with the accused after arraignment had been made with their respective parents for the accused to take care of their spiritual life.

She said, sometime in December 2006, the accused started having sexual intercourse with all the children on several times in turns in his bedroom and in his bathhouse.

Mrs. Keelson said, after having sexual with all the children on days of his choice, the accused threatened them with death or madness if they inform anyone of what he was doing to them.

But for fear of their lives, the kids kept the ordeals and did not inform anyone of the pastor’s act.

The prosecutor said, one of the victims aged 12 who was a member of the church in Abijan came to Ghana to spend some holidays with the accused and his household at his Dome residence.

That, while on holidays in the accused house, he had sexual intercourse with her in a number of times and once again warned her never to disclose her ordeal to anyone or she would get mad.

But unfortunately on the part of the accused, when the visiting victim got to know that the accused had been having sex with all the children in his house and when she returned to Abijan she informed her mother and one Stephen Peprah and Mary Anaglate who happened to be parents for some of the victims about her ordeal and the others in the hands of Pastor Akwasi Agyemang.

The prosecutor further explained that it was the two parents who quickly contacted their children on phone about story about the accused and it was confirmed that the accused was indeed having sex with them in turns on days of his like.

That the two parents again, immediately moved to Ghana and proceeded to the house of the accuse,  where the children lived and during a little investigation by the parents it was confirmed that Pastor Agyemang had been having sex with the children and examination on them further confirmed the story.

The prosecutor said, the two parents, Peprah and Anaglate  lodged a complaint at police station and a medical form were issued for the examination of the children and when  the medical results was obtained it was confirmed that the children had been sexually abused .

The Chief State Attorney noted that, following that, the accused was  charged and brought to court for trial in 2007, and during the trial after  the prosecution had called four witnesses and the accused who was on bail at the time quickly jumped bail and went into hiding for about four years now.

She said, luck however eluded the accused once again when with the assistance of the nation’s ace investigative journalist, Ana Aremeyaw Anas, the accused was smoked out from his hiding on March 4, this year and charged for the offence.