Pastor Shaves 13-year-old girl

THE MADINA Police have arrested a 27-year-old pastor, Bright Addo for allegedly defiling a 13-year-old Junior High School student at his Ritz Junction Area residence at Madina, a suburb of Accra.

Pastor Addo was said to have taken advantage of the girl's weakness after the sex act and shaved off her pubic hair as she lay on the bed.

According to Chief Superintendent Elizabeth Allandu, the Divisional Commander of the Madina Divisional Command, Pastor Addo, who was the pastor in charge of the Divine Faith Prayer Ministry at the Achimota Forest but lives at the Ritz Junction at Madina near Accra, was also the victim's family pastor.

She said on January 22, 2008, Pastor Addo was arrested by the police based on complaint lodged by the victim's mother (name withheld) that her daughter had been defiled by the said 'Man of God'.

C/Supt. Allandu noted that Pastor Addo took advantage of the girl when she was sent by her mother to the pastor's house on an errand.

The pastor was said to have convinced the girl's mother that some men were spiritually defiling her, and that it was necessary for her to be protected from such spiritual attacks.

The mother of the victim therefore asked her daughter to drop in at the pastor's residence on her way home from school at Adenta for spiritual fortification.

Narrating her ordeal to the police, the victim alleged that when she got to Pastor Addo's residence, she was asked to remove her clothes for a spiritual bath.

She said the alleged rapist warmed some water, added some 'spiritual oil' and asked the victim to use the water to cleanse her vagina.

The purpose of the bath, according to the police, was to cleanse the girl of any spiritual spell said to have been cast by her 'enemies'.

The victim continued that after taking her bath, Pastor Addo told her to lie on his bed, and after allegedly 'inspecting the playing field', he had sex with her.

Having satisfied his desire, the pastor asked the girl why the 'playing field was so bushy' and proposed to shave it for her.

The girl said she initially refused to be shaved but Pastor Addo insisted and convinced her that he was a good barber and could therefore do it expertly without hurting her.

Pastor Addo then allegedly shaved her clean, wrapped the hair in a black polythene bag and dumped it in a waste paper bucket.

He then saw the girl off to pick a car and gave her a handkerchief with some drops of red oil, instructing her to tell the mother to burn the handkerchief at midnight.

But when victim got home at about 6:45 pm, the mother was worried over her undue lateness.

When pressed further on why she stayed so long in the pastor's house, the young lady asked her mother why she made her visit the pastor.

The mother was said to have told her daughter that she wanted her to pick a 'spiritual' handkerchief for her and then receive some spiritual 'anointment' herself.

She then told her mother what the pastor did to her. The mention of shaving of pubic hair frightened the mother, who suspected that the pastor wanted to use the hair for juju.

According to the police, it was through one Pastor Adu that the mother of the victim got to know Pastor Addo. She therefore informed Pastor Adu who in turn confronted his colleague pastor.

Pastor Addo was said to have initially denied the charge but the girl insisted that she had evidence that could incriminate the alleged 'rapist'.

Having been exposed, Pastor Addo begged for forgiveness and pledged to settle the girl with an undisclosed sum of money.

The police, led by Chief Inspector Edward Dzokoto, asked the woman to feign interest and on their way to have the matter 'amicably' resolved, the police swooped in on Pastor Addo and arrested him.

The police mentioned that in his cautioned statement, the suspect confessed to the act and led the police to his house where the pubic hair was retrieved from the dustbin.

Pastor Addo, speaking to DAILY GUIDE at the police station, confessed to the act and blamed it on the devil.

He said he was married to a 23-year-old nursing student (name withheld) and did not know why he succumbed to the devil's temptation.

Pastor Addo pleaded for pardon, promising that he would not commit that crime again.

C/Supt. Allandu cautioned mothers who send their daughters to men's rooms to carry out chores to desist from the practice.

She reminded women and Ghanaians in general to be wary of people who call themselves pastors, as many of such people are really "wolves in sheep's clothing".

C/Supt. Allandu urged the public to be security conscious, and added that Pastor Addo would be put before court after investigations were completed.