Joseph Persaud, the pastor who was arrested last November after being accused of rape by a church member, was charged yesterday with the crime.
At an in-camera hearing before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in Georgetown, Persaud, 37, of Lot 62 Avenue ‘A,’ New Scheme, Diamond, was charged with raping the woman.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Persaud was granted his release on $350,000 bail and ordered to lodge his passport and report to the Ruimveldt Police Station every other Friday until the completion of the case.
Persaud was also ordered to stay 50-ft away from the complainant and to make no contact with her, her relatives or any witness in the matter or cause anyone to do so.
The matter was subsequently adjourned until January 18th.
This newspaper had previously reported that the assault occurred in October, when the pastor reportedly invited the woman to his house for dinner and made sexual advances towards her. It had been reported that he had been counselling her.
