The 75-year-old leader and pastor of Back to Eden Church Ministry Iowane Vakadranu has told the High Court that he had sex with two of his followers, and it was consensual.
While taking the stand in his rape trial, Vakadranu said that he did not commit rape as he did it for a purpose.
Vakadranu told the defence lawyer, Semi Tinivata that he advised the women from the bible and his advice was based from a program on what they were going to study.
When asked to explain the program, Vakadranu said that it has a lot of information and advice about God - firstly about the body and then about spiritual life.
Vakadranu maintained to his lawyer that the program is based on the bible and he can show them if he is given a bible.
The 75-year-old pastor said that he does not consider this as rape as he has been preaching to the women for a very long time.
Vakadranu said that the two women who are the state witnesses, had given their full consent to have sex.
When asked on why this was being done, Vakadranu said that the women were being prepared for a mission not to commit adultery so that they know the taste and will not go and do it outside but only do it with him.
He had told them that he was the only one who should do it as he was their leader and advisor.
Vakadranu said that he would not have had sex with them if any of the two would have refused to do it.
Meanwhile, the second state witness in the rape trial of Back to Eden Church leader, Iowane Vakadranu told the High Court that she did not give Vakadranu permission to have sexual intercourse with her.
The 23-year-old woman told prosecutor, Siteri Navia that she was 19-years-old during the time of the alleged incident in Vunika, Labasa.
The woman said that she had one on one sessions with Vakadranu.
In one of those sessions she said that he told her to take off her clothes and he then had sex with her.
The alleged victim said that she cried and could not do anything.
The woman told the court that the leader of Back to Eden Church then told her to be strong and that is what God had appointed him to do.
She said that she did not give permission to him to have sex with her.
The alleged victim said that she did not tell anybody about the incident because they were told by Vakadranu not to tell anyone about what happens in the one on one sessions.
She revealed in court that she was interviewed by Police last year after her mother went to report the matter to police because this also happened to her mother. The 23-year-old woman said that she is no longer part of the church because of the act that was done to her and her mother.
Vakadranu is charged with 4 counts of rape. The alleged incidents occurred between 1st October, 2012 to 31st August, 2014 in Labasa and Tailevu.
The prosecution will cross-examine Vakadranu later this morning.
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