Self-styled ‘prophet’ avoids jail sentence for sexual offences

A former university lecturer who founded his own church and sexually molested members of his flock avoided jail yesterday after a sheriff said he had “already suffered a spectacular fall from grace”.

Walter Masocha, who called himself “the Prophet”, was made subject to a community payback order with the condition that he performs 250 hours of unpaid work, and placed on supervision and the sex offenders register for 12 months.

Mascoha, 51, “archbishop” of the Agape for All Nations Church based in Stirling, was assessed by social workers as being at “moderate risk” of reoffending.

Heputhishanddownthetrousers of a schoolgirl, saying he was trying to remove demons. He also groped a young deaconess while he was supposed to be praying to help a problem she had with her stomach.

At Falkirk Sheriff Court, Sheriff Kenneth McGowan told him his conduct must have left his victims “hurt and bewildered”.

But the sheriff said: “There are many cases where the gravity of the offences are such that a custodial sentence is inevitable. Without in any way seeking to downplay the severity of the offences in this case, my view is that this is not the position here."

Mascoha, who lives near Stirling and used to teach at Stirling University, appeared for sentence after being found guilty of sexually assaulting the deaconess and sexually touching the schoolgirl after a six-day trial in April.

Walter Masocha.