Rape trial of pastor Waisake Tulavu

The three women who were raped and sexually assaulted by Agape Healing Church Ministry Pastor Waisake Tulavu have told the court this morning that they are still being mocked by their family members and fellow villagers.

One of the victims who attends USP told the court that her cousins say to her for her to go to them so they can deliver her.

She says that she has also stopped herself from going to church after what had happened to her.

The woman told the court that she declares Tulavu is guilty for the rest of his life.

One of the victims says that the incident has ruined her personal life and that her family members do not trust her.

She added that she lost her job and her workmates used to mock her.

The final victim told the court that after the incident had happened her fellow villagers used to make fun of her and say things to her.

She also says that she sits at home and thinks of what Tulavu did to her.

Meanwhile, the Assemblies of God Church has today apologized to the women who were raped and sexually assaulted by Agape Healing Church Ministry Pastor Waisake Tulavu.

Church General Superintendent Reverend Dr Mosese Cakau was summoned to court by High Court Judge, Justice Daniel Goundar.

While taking the stand this morning, Rev. Dr Cakau told the court that the church does not condone these actions and does not embrace these teachings and that the actions of Tulavu were his alone and not of the church.

He says he cannot fathom what the women went through as their trust was betrayed by a man of the cloth.

He adds that the teachings of deliverance by Tulavu are un-biblical and not in the scripture.

Rev. Dr Cakau says that he knows of Tulavu but does not know him personally.

He says that Tulavu also needs rehabilitation and restoration.

It was also heard in court that Tulavu was trained at the Calvary Church in Samabula.

Tulavu was found guilty of four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault and he will be sentenced on Friday.

The Assemblies of God Church has today apologized to the women who were raped and sexually assaulted by Agape Healing Church Ministry Pastor Waisake Tulavu.

Church General Superintendent Reverend Dr Mosese Cakau was summoned to court by High Court Judge, Justice Daniel Goundar.

While taking the stand this morning, Rev. Dr Cakau told the court that the church does not condone these actions and does not embrace these teachings and that the actions of Tulavu were his alone and not of the church.

He says he cannot fathom what the women went through as their trust was betrayed by a man of the cloth.

He adds that the teachings of deliverance by Tulavu are un-biblical and not in the scripture.

Rev. Dr Cakau says that he knows of Tulavu but does not know him personally.

He says that Tulavu also needs rehabilitation and restoration.

It was also heard in court that Tulavu was trained at the Calvary Church in Samabula.

Tulavu was found guilty of four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

He will be sentenced on Friday.

High Court Judge, Justice Daniel Goundar has found Agape Healing Church Ministry Pastor Waisake Tulavu guilty of four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

Tulavu raped two women and sexually assaulted another woman between 11th May to 15th September 2018.

The three assessors had also found him guilty of all counts.

Justice Goundar has also asked the prosecution if someone from the Assemblies of God Church Headquarters can be present in court on Monday when the sentence hearing takes place.

He also questioned the prosecution as to what has happened to Agape Healing Church Ministry.

Prosecutor, Sadaf Saneem informed the court that Tulavu used to operate the church from his home and they are unsure whether the church has closed down or it has been taken over by someone.

The sentencing hearing will take place on Monday.

Agape Healing Church Ministry Pastor, Waisake Tulavu who is accused of raping two women and sexually assaulting another has told the Suva High Court that he never told any of the women that they need to have sex with him or one of the elders of the church to drive out a curse from them.

Tulavu told the court that the reason why the first alleged victim reported the matter to police was that she did not have a child.

He says the second alleged victim reported the matter to the police because the sacrament and the prayer were not conducted at her home for her and her parents to be healed.

Tulavu told the court today that in the Agape Healing Church Ministry, the females pray over the females and the reason why he prayed over the first alleged victim was that at the bottom of her heart she needed him to pray over her and have a conversation with her at the same time.

The pastor says the 34-year-old woman had said that she needed to be prayed over privately.

Tulavu admitted in the Suva High Court that he and the first alleged victim were alone in a house when he prayed over her.

He says the procedure to be prayed and what he did to the first alleged victim was pouring oil on his hands, writing a cross on her head and praying over her.

Tulavu also told the court that the second alleged victim herself told him that her family was cursed and said that she needs to be prayed over.

The trial continues in the Suva High Court.

Agape Healing Church Ministry Pastor, Waisake Tulavu who is accused of raping two of his church members and sexually assaulting another member has told the court that he was only following what was stated in the bible.

Tulavu pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

He allegedly committed the offences on five different occasions which were between 11th May to 15th September 2018. Tulavu took the stand this afternoon where he also told the court that his teachings were derived from the bible.

He said that deliverance is done when you touch where the pain is and it is dependent on the sickness the people present.

The accused also said that he got to know one of the women who had accused him of raping her after a church service in a village where he had said that there are two people present who need to have children.

Tulavu told the court that the 34-year-old woman and her husband then approached him and said they needed to be prayed for because they wanted to conceive.

He said he prayed for the couple in front of the people gathered for the service and then told both of them to come to the Agape Ministry in Cunningham.

Tulavu also told the court that the woman had come alone to him in April, 2018 and stayed in the church for three weeks.

He said he was conducting church services from his home and his wife, their three children and other members of the church lived with him.

When asked by the defence lawyer, Talei Kean what the woman did when she was in church, Tulavu said there would be prayers as she was not the only one to be prayed for and there would be many others.

He also told the court that while they prayed, there were different things that would be done for different sicknesses and deliverance would be done on those who had curses and those that were filled with demonic spirits.

Meanwhile, Reverend Penaia Karawa, who was the last state witness has told the court that deliverance is only done by praying and touching the persons head or shoulder.

He said that a male pastor cannot be alone with a female church member when she is being prayed over or deliverance is being provided and there is no procedure stated where the pastor can have sex with a church member.

Reverend Karawa also told the court that Tulavu had denied raping his church members when allegations were first brought forward by other church pastors during a church conference.

Reverend Karawa who was overseeing the Agape Ministries on behalf of the Assemblies of God Church had said he had heard rumours of malpractice from other church pastors where Tulavu and a group were having sex with their church members.

He said he had then reported the matter to the Church’s District Superintendent and Tulavu’s license was then suspended and the matter was also reported to the police.

The trial continues in the Suva High Court.

A 24-year-old woman who is the third prosecution witness in the trial of Pastor Waisake Tulavu has told the court that Tulavu told her that she has to have sex with a man as she was losing weight everyday even though she was eating well.

The woman told the court that when she was in class four Tulavu came to conduct church services beside her house in Samabula.

She says she does not know how Tulavu knew that she had been losing weight everyday but when she went to the market in September 2018, a girl met her and told her that Tulavu wants to see her.

The woman says she then went to meet Tulavu at the market where he touched her and told her that she needs to be delivered.

The 24-year-old woman says she did not know what deliverance meant and asked him to explain what it meant.

She says Tulavu told her that deliverance is the process where a female and male have sex to be healed.

The woman says that Tulavu told her to come to Cunningham on the same night for her to be delivered.

The trial continues in the Suva High Court.

A 34-year-old woman who was allegedly raped by an Agape Healing Church Ministry pastor from Cunningham told the Suva High Court today that she was told by the pastor that he had to have sex with her to drive out a curse.

Waisake Tulavu is accused of raping two women in his church and sexually assaulting another woman.

Tulavu has pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

He allegedly committed the offences on five different occasions which were between 11th May to 15th September 2018.

The woman who was the first prosecution witness today told the court that Tulavu came to her village in Tailevu in 2018 to pray over her husband's uncle who was a stroke patient. She says her husband's aunt then came and asked her and her husband if they would also like to be prayed over as she could not conceive after marriage.

The 34-year-old woman says that she had a belief that there is a curse in her family as all her other siblings who got married could not conceive as well. She says they agreed to get prayed over by the pastor however Tulavu told her to come over to his home in Cunningham in order to be prayed over.

The woman further told the court that she believed in the pastor that he would heal her as he had been healing others.

She says when she went to Pastor Tulavu’s house the following week, he told her that she needs to have sex with another man in order to conceive. The woman said the pastor had told her not to have sex with her husband because they were both cursed.

The woman says the pastor then told her to undress herself and he allegedly raped her, as he had said that the holy spirit had spoken to him and he has to deliver her.

She said the next morning, the pastor told her that she had to have sex with another pastor to be delivered again.

The trial continues in the Suva High Court.

The second woman who claims that she was raped by the Agape Healing Church Ministry Pastor Waisake Tulavu in 2018, has told the court that she did not leave the church after she was raped as Tulavu told her that he would give her his commitment.

When questioned by defence lawyer, Talei Kean, the 31-year-old woman says the commitment means the period of time given by the pastor for her not to have sex with another man in order to be healed from the curse.

The woman told the High Court that the second reason why she did not leave was because Tulavu told her that he will conduct a sacrament at her home in Naitasiri for her and her family to be healed from the curse.

The woman says she still believed in him and that is why she did not tell anyone that she was raped.

Defence lawyer Kean also asked the second alleged victim on why she decided to get healed by a stranger.

The 31-year-old woman told the court that she believed in the pastor as he had been healing other sick people and they got healed.

She says that Tulavu was a mentor to him as he was doing miracles by healing people.

The trial continues in the Suva High Court.

Another woman who was allegedly raped by an Agape Healing Church Ministry pastor from Cunningham told the Suva High Court this morning that she was told by the pastor that she has to have sex with one of the elders of the church to take out a curse from her and her family.

The woman who is the second prosecution witness is currently giving evidence in court in the trial of Pastor Waisake Tulavu.

The 31-year-old woman says the pastor first came to her village in Naitasiri in January 2018 to conduct a church service with his team.

She says the pastor later went to a house and was conducting healing prayers and her cousin took her to that house.

The woman says she was sitting at the back and was watching the pastor praying over an uncle. She told the court that after Pastor Tulavu had finished praying for the uncle, he said for her to move up to her as he wanted to pray for her because she was cursed.

The 31-year-old woman told the court that Tulavu prayed for her however he told her to go to Cunningham for further prayer services.

She says she went to the pastor’s house in March 2018 to be healed.

The woman says Tulavu was her mentor looking at the miracles he had done by healing sick people. She says youths and other members of the church also used to stay over at the church some days for prayer sessions and one night she stayed over for a sacrament which was later postponed.

The woman says that night the pastor told one of the girls to go and wake her up at 1am in the morning and asked her to come to the porch. She says Tulavu told her that she has to be delivered.

The 31-year-old woman told the court that the pastor then raped her and kept saying that there is a lot of curse in her.

The woman says she moved back and then Tulavu told her to go and call one of the elders of the church to explain to her how the deliverance is conducted. She says she refused and said that she cannot sleep with a married man. The woman says Tulavu said that she does not have to be scared as he will be there to monitor them as they deliver.

The trial continues in the Suva High Court.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has consolidated the rape cases against the pastor of the Agape Healing Church Ministry Waisake Tulavu.

Tulavu re-took his plea in court today based on the consolidated charges and pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

The alleged incidents occurred between 11th May to 15th September last year.

The 50-year-old allegedly raped two women in his church and sexually assaulted another woman.

Justice Daniel Goundar has set the one week trial to start on 5th August this year.

[L-R]Waisake Tulavu and Sakiusa Nakutoro

The case against another senior member of the church, Sakiusa Nakutoro was dismissed by Justice Goundar after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions filed to discontinue the case.

Nakutoro had earlier indicated that he wanted to be a state witness as he did not commit the offence, but saw it happening.

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A 50‑year‑old pastor and a senior member of Agape Healing Church Ministry who is charged with 5 counts of rape appeared in the Nasinu Magistrates Court today and made an application for bail.

Waisake Tulavu who has three separate cases has made an application for bail saying he has to attend to his ministry in Naitasiri.

Tulavu has been jointly charged with a senior member of the church, Sakiusa Nakutoro with a count of rape.

The alleged incident happened on the 11th of May this year where both allegedly raped a 29‑year‑old woman who is also a member of the church.

Tulavu is also charged with 3 counts of rape of a 22‑year‑old woman.

The alleged incidents occurred between the 1st of May to the 31st of May this year.

Tulavu is further charged with one count of rape of a 32‑year‑old woman.

The alleged incident occurred on the 15th of September this year.

Magistrate Charles Ratakele will make a decision on Tulavu’s bail application this Friday.

Police Prosecutor Krishan Keshwan made an application for the case to be transferred to the Suva High Court.

The three victims in this case have no domestic relation to the accused persons.

A pastor and a senior member of Agape Healing Church Ministry will be produced in the Nasinu Magistrates Court today for allegedly raping members of their congregation.

The 46-year-old pastor has been charged with four counts of rape and one count of indecent assault.

Police say the accused is alleged to have raped three women, two of whom are in their 20s while the third victim is in her 30s.

The alleged incidents occurred between April to September this year.

He is alleged to have committed the offence at his home in Cunningham where he conducts the church services.

The senior member of his congregation has been charged with allegedly raping a 30-year-old woman.