The Head Pastor of Saviour Church of Ghana, Swedru branch, Pastor Joseph Bondzie, 34, is said to have raped a 22 year old Portia Cobbea, a Senior High School (SHS) leaver, at Agona Swedru in the Central Region.
The incident according to the police occurred on the 27th of August, 2013 at the residence of the girl’s Auntie at Nsawam, a suburb of Agona Swedru.
The Agona Swedru Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Nana Asomah Hinneh said the victim, Portia Cobbea made a complaint to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVSU) on the date above that she has been raped by the accused unawares.
Upon the victim’s report to the police, she was issued a police medical form to be endorsed by a medical officer which was then confirmed that she been raped.
Following this incident, the accused accompanied by the girl’s auntie went to Portia Cobbea’s mother to render apology to the girl’s family but while he was resolving issues with the girl’s family at Mahodwe, a suburb of Swedru, the police arrested him on Friday, 30th August, 2013, a day after the Supreme Court Verdict.
ACP Nana Asomah Hinneh said, the accused went to visit the victim’s auntie and there he saw the victim at her house. The pastor said there is an evil spirit in the girl and if she would agree, he the accused would cast the demons out for her which she obliged.
Early in the morning around 7am on the 27th August, 2013, the accused went to the victim’s house where he met the victim’s auntie. He asked the where about of the victim and the victim’s auntie who is a church member of the accused called on the girl who came out of her room.
The accused then asked permission to go with the girl into her room to pray for her. According to the police, while the victim was being prayed for by the accused, the accused blew air into the victim’s mouth when she was asked by the accused to do so.
Police said, the victim fell unconscious after the blowing of the air and while in her unconscious state, the accused took advantage of her after which he left without communicating his departure to the victim’s auntie who was present at the house at the time the accused left.
ACP Asomah said when the victim regained consciousness, she found herself in a different state but the accused was gone. She then called on her auntie to find out the where about of the accused but little did the victim’s auntie know that the accused had left until her attention was drawn by her niece.
She then told her auntie the ordeal she has gone through when she showed her auntie a sample of the accused’s semen from under her private part and upon this a complaint was quickly made to the police to effect the arrest of the accused.
On the 3rd of September, 2013, the accused was arranged before court with a charge of rape. His counsel sort to seek bail for him but was refused by the judge who sat on the case, Justice N.K.E. Osam.
He was however remanded to prison’s custody at Winneba in the Central Region. He is to reappear in court on the 26th of September, 2013.
