South African court acquits Nigerian pastor of rape after 8 years in jail

South African court acquits Nigerian pastor of rape after 8 years in jail

A High Court in the Eastern Cape division of South Africa has acquitted Timothy Omotoso, a Nigerian televangelist, accused of raping young women in his church.

Omotoso and his two co-defendants were arraigned on a 32-count charge bordering on rape and human trafficking.

News24 reported that Omotoso would be deported to Nigeria immediately after the judgment.
The co-defendants are Lusanda Sulani and Zukiswa Sitho.

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Several young women had accused the pastor of luring them into his home in Umhlanga, a town in South Africa, where he allegedly molested them.

In April 2017, the Nigerian pastor was arrested shortly after he landed at an airport in South Africa.
He is the senior pastor of the Jesus Dominion International based in Durban, South Africa. He is also the founder of Tim Omotoso Global Outreach and Ancient of Day Broadcasting Network

According to News24, Irma Schoeman, the trial judge, yesterday, ruled that the state prosecutor did not prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.
The Nigerian pastor had been in South African prison since his arrest in 2017.

South African court acquits Nigerian pastor of rape after 8 years in jail