Action Society has written a letter to the prosecutor overseeing the rape case of a 15-year-old girl from Delft, Aster*, who was raped by her pastor in November of 2024. In the letter we demand that the accused be remanded and not granted bail under any circumstances for the sake of the safety of all children living in his community. Action Society attended the bail hearing along with Women Impacting the Nation (WIN) today. The bail application will continue tomorrow, on 11 February 2025.
The rape reportedly took place on November 16, 2024, under the guise of religious mentoring and spiritual guidance. The accused picked the victim up from her home for “praise and worship practice”. The accused, a self-proclaimed “Spiritual crime prevention leader,” exploited his position to commit this heinous act, which is a gross violation of trust and moral integrity. As a pastor the accused is in a position of trust and therefore poses a serious risk to children who could still be entrusted to be taught by him by unsuspecting parents.
“The severity of this crime is compounded by the fact that the accused has a documented criminal history. This raises significant concerns about his conduct and the potential risk he poses to public safety if released on bail. Allowing bail could not only facilitate further offenses but also undermine public confidence in the judicial system’s ability to protect the vulnerable, especially children”, the letter reads.
“We argue that not only does the severity of his sexual crime warrant no bail, but that the accused is a repeat offender at danger of harming more children. Action Society will not rest while perpetrators stay in a position of power in their communities. Moreover we feel that the community’s passionate response to this horrendous crime is a clear sign that they are tired of sexual offenders in their communities and it is thus in the best interest of all to keep him behind bars,” says Kaylynn Palm, Head of Action Society’s Action Centre.
*Pseudonym to protect the identity of the victim.
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