(Jamaica Gleaner) The Kingston pastor facing criminal charges for allegedly having sex with a 12-year-old girl and impregnating her has reportedly requested a second paternity test.
The request by Kenneth Blake, pastor of the Harvest Temple Apostolic Church, located on Slipe Pen Road, was reportedly made in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Monday. It came just over a month after a DNA report, prepared by the government forensic laboratory, concluded that there is 99.9 per cent chance that Blake could not be excluded as the father.
According to reports, he is contending that the test was tainted.
A judge has granted Blake’s request and ordered that the second DNA test be done at a private facility at his expense.
The alleged victim, who turns 15 years old later this year, gave birth to a boy on November 30 last year.
The Gleaner first reported that Blake, 56, was arrested on August 15 last year by investigators from the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse and charged with rape, forcible abduction, grievous sexual assault, sexual touching and sexual intercourse with a person under 16 years old.
The charges were filed after the alleged victim gave investigators a detailed statement accusing Blake of having sex with her at his St Andrew home in 2015 while she was 12 years old.
It is alleged that during the first encounter, the clergyman forced himself onto the child after sending her older sister to downtown Kingston to buy some things.
Following this, according to the girl’s account to investigators, he began rewarding her with gifts to keep quiet about their sexual encounters.
However, Blake has denied the allegations and insisted in court that it was part of an extortion attempt by the mother of his accuser.
