Latest news with #WalterMasocha
New York Post
02-07-2025
- New York Post
Pastor known as ‘Daddy' told parishioner he sexually assaulted that he was ‘exorcising her demons:' court
A twisted pastor in Scotland – known as 'Daddy' to his congregants – told a female parishioner he sexually assaulted that he was 'removing demons' from her body to justify the sick act, a jury heard. Walter Masocha, 61, repeatedly groped the 58-year-old married woman – who had come to him for prayer – inside his Stirling home about 20 years ago, claiming that God had 'given her to him as a gift' and ordered her to kiss his 'holy lips,' The Times reported. The predatory preacher was found guilty of attempted rape and sexually assaulting the wedded victim and another woman following a trial at the High Court in Livingston. Advertisement Portrait of Pastor Walter Mascocha. 'She was looking for prayer and she found herself being preyed upon,' advocate depute Michael MacIntosh told the Edinburgh court. 'Walter Masocha wasn't just a pastor and a preacher, he was a predator who thought that his power and position rendered him immune from suspicion.' Advertisement The other woman, 39, told the court the depraved clergyman sexually assaulted her for more than six years – from January 2006 to July 2012 – starting when she was just 20. She said Masocha attacked her for the first time in his ritzy mansion when he grabbed her face and shoved his tongue into her mouth. The sinister preacher, during their second encounter, slapped the youngster on the bum as she walked up stairs, the woman recounted to the court. The married Zimbabwean national said the abuse escalated when Masocha – considered a father figure in church and often called 'dad' or 'daddy' – took her to his bedroom and tried to rape her. 'Next thing I remember is he pushed me forward and pulled my trousers and pants down,' the woman recalled, explaining how she initially froze before she managed to break free and run away. Advertisement 'I was on the front of the bed where I was standing.' The other woman, 39, told the court the depraved clergyman sexually assaulted her for more than six years – from January 2006 to July 2012 – starting when she was just 20. pressmaster – The woman's husband eventually confronted the vile preacher, who fell to the ground and begged the couple to pray for him, saying, 'I'm sorry, I loved you too much.' Masocha, who founded his own church in Scotland in 2007 and set up ministries across the UK, the United States and Canada, defended himself during the trial and accused both women of lying, in addition to two other witnesses who testified, according to the outlet. Advertisement He was convicted of attempted rape, two counts of indecent assault and sexual assault. 'This was appalling behavior,' Justice Susan Craig told the sicko churchman, noting he will remain on the sex offender registry for the rest of his life. 'It's completely clear to me that this will result in a custodial sentence. While you've been bailed until now I'm going to revoke that bail immediately and the officers there will take you into prison for remand.' Masocha, who was previously convicted in 2015 of sexually assaulting a female congregate, will remain behind bars until he is sentenced on July 28.
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Facing jail, predatory pastor who carried out 'appalling' sexual assaults on two women
A predatory pastor sexually assaulted a parishioner whilst pretending to 'remove demons' from her body, a court heard. Walter Masocha repeatedly touched the woman inappropriately at his home in Stirling, telling her she was a gift to him from God. He also attempted to rape a woman and indecently assaulted her during a campaign of sexual abuse spanning six years. Masocha, Archbishop of the Agape for All Nations Church, was found guilty after a trial at the High Court in Livingston of the attempted rape, an indecent assault and a sexual assault against one woman and indecent assault of his other victim. He committed the offences at addresses in the Stirling area between January 2006 and July 2012. The jury heard from a 39-year-old woman who said she was aged 20 when Masocha began sexually abusing her. She said most people in the church referred to the accused as 'Dad' or 'Daddy' and looked on him as a father figure. She told the court: 'He would say 'My children' implying we needed to be there for him. 'He would tell me 'God said I need to look after you and has given me special love for you in particular'. 'Several times during so-called surgeries he said to me 'God has given you to me to nurture you, look after you and provide for you. He told me to love you in any way you want to be loved. You don't need a boyfriend'.' She said Masocha sexually assaulted her at his home and in a later incident slapped her bottom as she was going upstairs. She told how he later tried to rape her after taking her into his bedroom. Her husband told the court he and the victim later confronted Masocha, who responded by asking them to pray for him, saying: 'I'm sorry I loved you too much.' The jury also heard evidence from a 58-year-old who was sexual abused by Masocha around 20 years ago. The woman said he had told her that God had 'given her to him as a gift' and ordered her to kiss his 'holy lips'. She said he tried to justify touching her inappropriately by claiming he was 'removing demons' from her body and giving her blessings in return. Summing up the prosecution case, advocate depute Michael McIntosh said in his closing speech: 'She was looking for prayer and she found herself being preyed upon. 'Walter Masocha wasn't just a pastor and a preacher, he was a predator who thought that his power and position rendered him immune from suspicion.' Giving evidence in his own defence, Masocha accused the two complainers, and two other women who gave evidence of earlier sexual abuse by him, of making up all the allegations against him. Masocha, 61, a former accountancy lecturer at Stirling University - founded his own successful church in Scotland in his spare time in 2007. The Zimbabwean national built up The Agape for All Nations Church into a formidable international religious organisation with more than 2,000 members, appointing himself as Archbishop on the same salary as the Archbishop of Canterbury. He set up ministries across the UK, the United States and Canada as well as in numerous African countries. He was known and respected by church members as 'The Prophet', 'The Apostle' and 'A Man of God'. Judge Susan Craig called for background reports and a risk assessment before sentencing and adjourned the case until later this month. She remanded Masocha in custody until then. She told him: 'This was appalling behaviour. It's completely clear to me that this will result in a custodial sentence. 'While you've been bailed until now I'm going to revoke that bail immediately and the officers there will take you into prison for remand.' It was only after the jury's verdicts were announced that it could be revealed that Masocha was convicted in June 2015 of sexually assaulting a woman at the Church of Agape and engaging in sexual activity towards a schoolgirl. He was sentenced at the time to 250 hours of unpaid work and placed on the sex offenders register for a year, but the conviction was later quashed after appeal court judges ruled he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
Times
02-07-2025
- Times
Pastor sexually assaulted woman, saying he was ‘exorcising her demons'
A church pastor has been convicted of sexually molesting a female parishioner while pretending he was 'exorcising demons' from her body. Walter Masocha repeatedly groped the married woman at his home in Stirling, a jury heard, telling her she was a gift to him from God. He also attempted to rape a young woman and indecently assaulted her during a campaign of sexual abuse spanning six years. The preacher was found guilty after a trial at the High Court in Livingston of the attempted rape, an indecent assault and a sexual assault against one woman, and indecent assault of his other victim. Masocha committed the offences at addresses in the Stirling area between January 1, 2006, and July 31, 2012. The jury returned a majority verdict convicting him of the attempted rape and unanimous guilty verdicts on the other three charges. The jury heard compelling evidence from a 39-year-old woman, from Zimbabwe, who said she was 20 when Masocha began sexually abusing her in Stirling. She said most people in the church referred to the accused as 'Dad' or 'Daddy' and looked on him as a father figure. She told the court: 'He would say, 'My children', implying we needed to be there for him. He would tell me, 'God said I need to look after you and has given me special love for you in particular'. 'Several times during so-called surgeries he said to me, 'God has given you to me to nature you, look after you and provide for you. He told me to love you in any way you want to be loved. You don't need a boyfriend'.' She said Masocha sexually assaulted her the first time in his home in Bridge of Allan by suddenly grabbing her face and putting his tongue in her mouth. In the second incident she said he slapped her bottom as she was going upstairs. She told how he later tried to rape her after taking her into his bedroom. She said: 'Next thing all I remember is he pushed me forward and pulled my trousers and pants down. I was on the front of the bed where I was standing.' She said she froze, but then managed to break free and fled. Another time, she said, he took her hand and placed it on his erect penis over his clothing at his £500,000 seven-bedroom mansion, Cosyneuk House in Sauchieburn, near Stirling. Her husband gave evidence that they later followed the Zimbabwean tradition of confronting the accused about his abuse to allow him to answer the allegations. He said Masocha responded by prostrating himself on the floor and asked them to pray for him, saying: 'I'm sorry I loved you too much.' The jury also heard evidence from a 58-year-old married woman that Masocha repeatedly subjected her to inappropriate and unwelcome sexual abuse about 20 years ago. The woman, who had asked the accused to pray for her husband to travel from Zimbabwe to join her in Scotland, said he had told her that God had 'given her to him as a gift' and ordered her to kiss his 'holy lips'. She said he tried to justify putting his hand in her pants and groping her private parts by claiming he was 'removing demons' from her body and giving her blessings in return. Summing up the prosecution case, the advocate depute Michael MacIntosh said: 'She was looking for prayer and she found herself being preyed upon. Walter Masocha wasn't just a pastor and a preacher, he was a predator who thought that his power and position rendered him immune from suspicion.' Giving evidence in his own defence, Masocha accused the two complainers, and two other women who gave evidence of earlier sexual abuse by him, of making up all the allegations against him. Masocha, 61, of Forth Park, Bridge of Allan, is a former accountancy lecturer at Stirling University. He founded his own church in Scotland in his spare time in 2007. The Zimbabwean built up the Agape for All Nations Church into a formidable international religious organisation with more than 2,000 members, appointing himself as archbishop on the same salary as the Archbishop of Canterbury. He set up ministries across the UK, the United States and Canada as well as in numerous African countries and lived a jet-set lifestyle, flying to visit his appointed pastors and preach overseas. He was known and respected by church members as 'The Prophet', 'The Apostle' and 'A Man of God', but all the while he was abusing his position of trust for his own sexual gratification. Judge Susan Craig called for background reports and a risk assessment before sentencing and adjourned the case until July 28. She remanded Masocha in custody. She told him: 'This was appalling behaviour. It's completely clear to me that this will result in a custodial sentence. While you've been bailed until now I'm going to revoke that bail immediately and the officers there will take you into prison for remand. 'Because you don't have any previous convictions I must obtain a criminal justice social work report so I have the full range of sentencing options available to me. That may include an extended sentence if there's an assessment that you pose a risk to the community on your release.' She warned him that his name was likely to remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely because that is what a sentence in excess of 30 months would attract. She said he would also be prohibited from having contact with vulnerable groups. After the jury's verdicts were announced it could be revealed that Masocha was convicted in June 2015 of sexually assaulting a woman at the Church of Agape and engaging in sexual activity towards a schoolgirl. He was found guilty after a trial at Falkirk sheriff court of putting his hand down the trousers of the schoolgirl — telling her that he was trying to remove demons — and of groping a church deaconess while he was meant to be praying for her. He was sentenced at the time to 250 hours of unpaid work and placed on the sex offenders register for a year, but the conviction was later quashed after appeal court judges ruled he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
Scottish Sun
02-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Predatory pastor sexually assaulted woman while pretending to exorcise demons from her body in Scots town
He also attempted to rape a young woman during a depraved campaign of sexual abuse spanning six years VILE BEAST Predatory pastor sexually assaulted woman while pretending to exorcise demons from her body in Scots town A PERVERTED church pastor has been convicted of sexually molesting a female parishioner while pretending he was 'exorcising demons' from her body. Walter Masocha, 61, repeatedly groped the woman at his home in Stirling, a jury heard, telling her she was a gift to him from God. 1 Walter Masocha arriving at Livingston High Court He also attempted to rape a young single female and indecently assaulted her during a depraved campaign of sexual abuse spanning six years, between 1 January, 2006 and 31 July, 2012. The predatory preacher, of Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire, was found guilty after a trial at the High Court in Livingston of the attempted rape, an indecent assault and a sexual assault against one woman and indecent assault of another. The jury heard compelling evidence from a 39-year-old female who said she was aged 20 when Masocha - who made followers call him 'daddy' - began sexually abusing her in Stirling. She told the court: 'He would say 'My children' implying we needed to be there for him. 'He would tell me 'God said I need to look after you and has given me special love for you in particular'. She said Masocha sexually assaulted her the first time in his home in Bridge of Allan by suddenly grabbing her face and forcing his tongue in her mouth. In the second incident she said he slapped her bottom as she was going upstairs and later tried to rape her after taking her into his bedroom. She said: 'Next thing all I remember is he pushed me forward and pulled my trousers and pants down.' He also assaulted her another time at his £500,000 mansion in Sauchieburn, near Stirling. The court heard the woman's husband confronted Masocha and he responded by throwing himself on the floor and asked them to pray for him, saying: 'I'm sorry I loved you too much.' Why I married a sexual predator and I want babies with him Another woman, 58, told how Masocha had told her that God had 'given her to him as a gift' and ordered her to kiss his 'holy lips'. She said he tried to justify groping her by claiming he was 'removing demons' from her body and giving her blessings in return. Advocate depute Michael McIntosh said: 'She was looking for prayer and she found herself being preyed upon. 'Walter Masocha wasn't just a pastor and a preacher, he was a predator who thought that his power and position rendered him immune from suspicion.' Giving evidence Masocha, a former accountancy lecturer at Stirling University, accused the complainers of lying. Masocha founded his own successful church in Scotland in 2007. The Zimbabwean national built up The Agape for All Nations Church into a formidable international religious organisation with more than 2,000 members, appointing himself as Archbishop on the same salary as the Archbishop of Canterbury. He set up ministries across the UK, the United States and Canada as well as in numerous African countries and lived a jet-set lifestyle flying to visit his appointed pastors and preach overseas. He was known by church members as "The Prophet", "The Apostle" and "A Man of God", but in reality he was abusing his position of trust for his own sexual gratification. Judge Susan Craig blasted Masocha's "appalling behaviour" and remanded him in custody until sentencing on July 28. Masocha was convicted in June 2015 of sexually assaulting a woman at the Church of Agape and sexual activity with a schoolgirl. Falkirk Sheriff Court. But the conviction was later quashed after appeal court judges ruled he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
