A Pastor who claims to be a prophet \u2018blessed\u2019 with the power to cast out demons, no longer has to worry about two indecent assault charges which have been hanging over his head for several months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pastor Jason Providence, of the Life by Faith Ministries, was charged with indecently assaulting a 23-year-old woman by putting her hands around his penis on January 18, 2022, and by kissing her on her lips on the same day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pastor, however, walked free from the Family Court on Thursday, December 14, after the Family Court President Coleen McDonald upheld no case submissions on both counts, at a trial that started months ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, representing the Pastor, made the submissions when the Prosecution rested its case last month, following which the matter was adjourned for the Court\u2019s ruling on the submissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bacchus-Baptiste submitted that the virtual complainant\u2019s evidence was unreliable, and the case should be dismissed because of the sheer improbability of what the complainant said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lawyer also stressed the inconsistencies of the Prosecution\u2019s case and the unreliability of witnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The complainant\u2019s evidence to the Court was that she was possessed by demons, and she would go to the Pastor\u2019s studio for counselling, prayer, and deliverance. She claimed she was delivered, but began having problems again. She went back to the Pastor, and it was during this time that he indecently assaulted her.
The defense denied the allegations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bacchus-Baptiste said on Monday that the complainant\u2019s evidence was discredited under cross-examination, and it was also unbelievable, in light of the evidence of WhatsApp conversations which Pastor Providence, saved his device, to which the complaint admitted under cross-examination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bacchus-Baptiste said these conversations were between the defendant and the complainant, and between the defendant and the complainant\u2019s best friend. She said the conversations took place after the date the offences were alleged to have been committed and they showed that the defendant and the complainant were still getting along well. However, while the defendant had saved the WhatsApp message on his device, the complaint deleted hers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lawyer also pointed to the evidence of the complainant\u2019s best friend where she admitted, under cross-examination, that the complainant intended to \u2018set up\u2019 the defendant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bacchus-Baptiste said, “This was a very disturbing case, and the Family Court President agreed with me\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“One has to be very careful in condemning some men when some women make sexual allegations against them. If Pastor Providence did not save these WhatsApp messages he would have gone to jail\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The maximum penalty for indecent assault is five years in prison if the victim is less than 15 years old, but for any other case of indecent assault, the maximum penalty is two years in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source :The Vincentian <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Pastor who claims to be a prophet \u2018blessed\u2019 with the power to cast out demons, no longer has to worry about two indecent assault charges which have been hanging over his head for several months. Pastor Jason Providence, of the Life by Faith Ministries, was charged with indecently assaulting a 23-year-old woman by putting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":36550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mainstory"],"yoast_head":"\n