Three assessors find Pastor Vakadranu guilty on 4 counts of rape

Guilty.

That is the decision of the three assessors in the rape trial of 75-year-old leader and pastor of Back to Eden Church Ministry Iowane Vakadranu.

The assessors have found Vakadranu guilty of all four counts of rape.

Vakadranu is remanded in custody and High Court Judge, Justice Vincent Perera will deliver his judgement on Monday afternoon.

The alleged incidents occurred between 1st October, 2012 to 31st August, 2014 in Labasa and Tailevu.

During the summing up of the case, Justice Perera said the prosecution’s first witness was 20-years-old and had left school.

He said that Vakadranu was the only teacher at her home school and all her family members attended the same church. The judge said the first state witness said she respected and followed the accused.

She had said that it was not lust of the flesh and she had consented to have sex with Vakadranu.

Speaking on the evidence given by the second state witness, Justice Perera said that the woman did not consent to have sex with Vakadranu. He also highlighted that she admitted that she did not push the accused or try to run away.

The presiding judge said that the woman said that she was afraid to tell anyone because she was told by the accused not to do that. The witness said she was told that she was not allowed to get married or have boyfriends.

The woman also said in her evidence that she was told by the accused to be strong and this is the will of God.

Justice Perera’s also highlighted that the defence counsel has said that the accused did not commit rape because he did it for a purpose. The defence had said that Vakadranu was teaching them a lesson.

It was highlighted that the accused taught and believed in a doctrine of ‘No Sin, No Sickness and No Death’.

Justice Perera said that the prosecution has to prove that Vakadranu had sex with the two women without their consent.

He said that it is not consent if a person is forced, threatened by fear, by exercise of authority or even false and fraudulent representation.

The defence had also asked the assessors today to consider Vakadranu’s age and mental capacity.

Justice Perera will deliver his verdict at 2.30pm next Monday.