A Catholic Priest in Liberia has been arrested by the Police for allegedly raping a student., as Garmah Never Lomo reports.
This latest incident comes amid the rise in rape and other domestic violence cases affected mainly women and children
The alleged perpetrator happens to be a priest of the Christ The King Catholic School in the Sinkor Old Road suburb of the Liberian capital.
Father Daniel L. George, age 32 was arrested on Tuesday October 8,2024 at 1945hours at his Christ the King residence for the commission of the crime of statutory rape which he allegedly perpetrated against 16 years old victim.
According to the police charge sheet, the Catholic priest allegedly raped the victim from May to October 2024.
The police charge sheet further that, the priest sexually molested the victim by inserting his penis in her vagina on multiple occasions within his bed room situated at the Christ the King Catholic Church compound on the Old Road and community and the victim’s old road residence respectively.
Defendant George was acquainted with his constitutional rights upon his arrest and interrogation.
During police interview with the victim who is a member of the Christ The King Catholic Church, she informed the investigation that the defendant while, serving the position of priest in their church (Christ The King Church), in which her mother is also member, he gained trust from her mother.
The charge sheet further disclosed that during the month of April 2024, defendant George would call her mother and request to take her out on weekends and her mother would grant him permission. He sometimes takes her at the invincible park when he is going to play football.
Eventually, her mother became uncomfortable with such attitude of him and stopped him from taking her daughter out. Her mother also went further to inform another priest father Patrick to stop the defendant from visiting her home.
The victim averred that during the month of May 2024, while, at the church (Christ the King Catholic Church), the defendant told her that he have some pictures for her at his house and he asked her to follow him for it but she told him that she needed to see her mother quickly.
Defendant George insisted and convinced her that she wouldn’t stay long at his house . So she went at his residence and sat in the living room while he was in his bedroom. Suddenly, he asked her to enter the room and help him find the pictures which she obeyed.
Immediately, she enter his bedroom, he pushed her on his bed and he undressed her and had sexual intercourse with her the police charge sheet revealed.
The victim further narrated that in the month of June 2024, defendant George entered the compound of her residence and she asked him to leave but he refused to leave and began threatening she and her mother to kill them adding that he has already assign people to her mother’s office to kill her.
Furthermore, the defendant threatened the victim if she refuse to have sex with him, her mother will be killed. He forcefully, had sexual intercourse with her in her living room and repeated the threat before leaving.
Narrating further, the victim explained that she stay away from church for three months. On Sunday October 6,2024, she went to church because her mother insisted.
According to her, when she got to the church, she avoided making contact with him but he kept on calling her until the lady Jessica took notice and informed her that the defendant was calling her but she refused to go to him and afterward left service and returned home.
She added that, on Wednesday October 8,2024, during that afternoon hours defendant George went her parent’s residence after forcing himself to enter the fence. She was holding a knife hole pealing her orange and as he got closer, she warned him to stay away and also threatened to kill her during which time a nurse Patience Sumo had gone to buy medical drug Flaggy for her.
Additionally, the charge sheet explained that another person was in the house except defendant George and herself. He engaged her physically and forcefully took the knife from her leaving her to sustained injury on her left wrist.
He afterward went into her room and called her in when the nurse returned and while she was trying to open the gate, he again threatened to kill two of them and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her when her mother entered the house and caught defendant George after he tried hiding herself and she immediately called the church administrator and later informed the police.
During further background investigation into the matter, a team of trained sex crime investigators headed by CIP Nyumah S. Gborie visited the crime scene (victim’s house) and interviewed relevant witnesses, photographed the scene, obtained photos of the defendant when he was caught at the victim’s house and obtained medical records from examination conducted on the victim at the Duport One Road Stop center.
The witnesses in separate accounts corroborated the narrative of allegations provided by the victim.
During interrogation with defendant Daniel L. George, he categorically denied the allegations of rape levied against him but admitted to have been at the residence of the victim on October 8,2024, based upon invitation by the victim.