COPS are hunting a pastor couple after allegedly raping at least six young girls in church and telling them the sex acts had “spiritual purpose”.
Wenderson Lima de Souza, 32, and Arielly Kamila Moraes de Souza, 24, are on the run after being accused of abusing underage victims “in the name of the Lord”.
A pastor couple stand accused of raping at least six teenage girls in Brazil
The pair have since gone on the run and are nowhere to be seenCredit: Refer to source
Investigators say Arielly approached the victims while her husband abused his position of power to convince them depraved sexual acts had a spiritual purpose.
Public official Eliane Goncalves said: “They spoke about how it was in the verses, that it was from God, that they had been sent to carry out those acts against the children.
“Some of the victims reported that they questioned whether this was not wrong, and they, using the children’s faith, carried out these abuses.”
The couple then offered their teenage victims and other to buy their silence, according to the authorities.
Wenderson Lima de Souza is under investigation for six offences
Arielly Kamila Moraes de Souza is accused of three offencesCredit: Refer to source
The pair had led the Assembleia de Deus AD Kairos church in Boa Vista in Northern Brazil for around five years.
The church’s founding documents reportedly discouraged followers from making complaints for fear of being accused of rebellion.
Allegations of their sickening behaviour first came to light when a 14-year-old girl made a complaint in April.
Since then, five other victims – aged between 12 and 17 – have come forward with similar accounts.
Another five implied they had been abused, but chose not to give statements.
A spokesman said: “The sexual practices were the result of a systematic chain of manipulation, abuse of religious authority, blackmail, and psychological coercion, which rules out any claim of voluntariness and reinforces the seriousness of the crimes committed, due to reverential fear.”
As soon as the got underway, the couple fled and haven’t been seen since.
The church’s owner said they ran off without returning the keys, and left the premises damaged with huge unpaid debts for rent, water and electricity.
“Their whereabouts are uncertain. We don’t know where they are, because otherwise we would have arrested them already. Both pastors are fugitives,” Goncalves said.
Local reports suggest the pair may have fled to Wenderson’s hometown of Manaus.
The pastor is now under investigation for six offences.
These included rape of vulnerable person, sexual harassment, favouring the sexual exploitation of a vulnerable adolescent, unauthorised recording of sexual intimacy, procedural fraud and ideological falsehood.
His wife, Arielly, is under investigation for rape of a vulnerable person, sexual harassment and procedural fraud.
The authorities have also indicted a 20-year-old woman for her role in the ordeal.
Under Wenderson’s strict instructions, she allegedly helped wipe data from his phone and dispose of the device.
The evangelical pair then allegedly forced one of the victims to file a false police report claiming the phone had been lost or stolen.
Their accomplice now faces charges of procedural fraud and the corruption of minors.
Their defence team maintains the couple’s innocence, insisting they are both first-time offenders with no previous convictions.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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