PASTOR ON SEX CHARGESBy STACY MOORE Wednesday, October 28 2009
Full Gospel pastor Brian Joseph sobbed as he stood in front of a Chaguanas magistrate yesterday on charges of sexually assaulting two young men from his church.
Joseph, 42, gave himself up to the police Monday evening after he learnt that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. He spent the night in police custody and was escorted into the Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court yesterday after six sex charges were laid against him.
Joseph is the pastor at the Ebenezer Apostolic Tabernacle church at Enterprise Village, Chaguanas. The six charges were laid indictably and Joseph was not called upon to plead. It is alleged that during January 2008 to October 2009, Joseph sexually assaulted and committed grievous sexual indecency on the men — ages 19 and 24 — on six occasions. The charges stated that the acts were committed during the months of January, March, November, September, August and November at Enterprise, Chaguanas.
Magistrate Gail Gonzales read the charges but while she was doing so, Joseph began to sob. He said he was framed. The magistrate asked him a question but the accused pastor did not answer. He instead asked the magistrate to allow the police to give him an opportunity to get his medication.
Joseph, of Longdenville, was unrepresented by an attorney. He interrupted the magistrate while she was reading the charges and said: “Your Honour, I could just say one thing please. Your Honour, 14 years ago I came to Trinidad and I was married. I was always super spiritual but my wife could not stand how super spiritual I was.” Gonzales intervened and told Joseph that she was remanding him into custody. She advised him to apply to a judge for bail. She told him that the charges were of a serious nature.
Joseph was escorted into the holding bay cell by police officers and he attempted to hide his face with his T-shirt from the media. The magistrate ordered that his criminal record be traced and he appear on November 3.
