7th August 2024
The founder of Deliverance Ministry of the Good Shepherd, Umuehieta Avu, Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, Pastor, Desmond Eke, have been sentenced to eight years imprisonment for raping his church member’s wife.
Justice T. N . Nzeukwu of the Imo State High Court, convicted and sentenced the pastor, who was found guilty of taking advantage of the woman who had vested so much trust in him.
The convict was tried on three counts that bordered on administering a stupefying substance on his victim which made her dizzy and weak, raping the victim who is also a member of his church and inflicting injuries during the rape
According to the prosecution counsel, Chioma Emuka, it was while in the dizzy state that pastor Eke took advantage of the woman who woke up to consciousness while he was still inside her.
Emuka said, “On inquiry on why he had to violate her, the pastor told the 25-year-old woman that his semen is holy enough to deliver her of the marine spirit that was disturbing her.”
Delivering the judgment, Justice Nzeukwu held that Eke was guilty of the offences preferred against him and convicted Eke on count two of the charge of breaching trust and raping the woman but discharged him on the third count which bordered on inflicting injuries during the rape.
Justice Nzeukwu held that, “since the woman was not completely conscious during the incident, there was no way injuries could result since there was no resistance”.
Before the sentence, the defence counsel pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy that his client had been of good behaviour having been present in court throughout the trial without jumping bail.
He pleaded that instead of a full sentence, his client should be put on probation.
This is the first case to be prosecuted under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act in Imo state.
A civil society organisation, known as Onurube, reported the matter and followed it up to its logical end.
Convener of Onurube, Marjorie Ezihe, who lauded the court for convicting the pastor, noted that the conviction would serve as a deterrent to those who indulge in such inhuman acts of having carnal knowledge of women under any guile without their consent.
