SHERIFF SPARES SHAMED PASTOR FROM JAIL
Church leader put on Sex Offenders’ Register
A church leader who sexually abused two followers, including a 15-year-old girl, has avoided jail.
Dr Walter Masocha was sentenced to 250 hours’ unpaid work and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for a year.
Falkirk Sheriff Court heard yesterday ( Tuesday) that Masocha, a self- appointed archbishop of Stirling- based Agape for All Nations Ministries International, continued to deny the charges against him.
In April, a jury found the 51-year-old, a former Stirling University lecturer, guilty of groping a mum-of-four and putting his hands down the trousers of a 15-year-old girl.
Both were targeted between April 2012 and January 2014 at Masocha’s £500,000 mansion – Coseyneuk House, Sauchieburn – where the Zimbabwe-born churchman received a steady stream of visitors.
Referring to a criminal justice and social work report, defence agent John Sculllion QC said: “It is suggested we are dealing with an individual who has respect for authority, albeit he continues to deny the offences.”
The court heard Masocha had been assessed to be a “low risk” of sex offending again, however, this was upgraded to “medium” due to his continued denial of the offences and his “access to vulnerable females”.
Mr Scullion added: “This risk is mitigated as the accused has resigned from the church and following the conviction the family home has been normalised as a private residency and members of the church will no longer attend there.”
Sheriff Kenneth McGowan was presented with testimonials from supporters of Masocha which referenced to his “charitable work” and “good character”.
He said due to Masocha’s age, lack of previous convictions and the nature of the offences, an alternative to custody was appropriate.
“You have suffered a spectacular fall from grace,” he told the church leader.
The six-day trial heard that Masocha groped a young deaconess while he was supposed to be praying for her stomach complaint, and put his hand down the trousers of a schoolgirl, saying he was trying to remove demons.
The deaconess, a 32-year-old mother-of-four, was also told that Masocha had been “trying to remove ‘something’ from her genitals”.
The schoolgirl, aged 15, was left in tears after Masocha “pinged” her knicker- elastic and pinched her bottom. Agape for All Nations Ministries International which has its headquarters in Melville Terrace and, following Masocha’s guilty verdict, issued an apology to his victims on its
website.