A North West pastor who was accused of raping a granny three years ago was acquitted by the Lehurutshe magistrate's court on Monday.
Jehovah Jireh Ministries' pastor Shepherd Lugalo, who came to court with his wife Thandeka Lugalo, looked relieved after the judgment and hugged his wife of eight years in excitement.
He was accused of raping the 69-year-old granny on February 14 2015 after he gave her a lift from Zeerust to Botswana.
Magistrate Stephen du Toit acquitted him based on the J88 medical form, which stated there was no penetration or bruises on the victim.
The magistrate said the victim had over-exaggerated the penis size of the accused, including the duration of the intercourse. She had testified that the sexual intercourse lasted for three hours, from 11am to 2pm, because the pastor's penis was too big and he had struggled to penetrate her.
She also said three condoms were damaged during the whole ordeal. But Du Toit said the victim had also contradicted the evidence of the policeman who attended to the scene.
According to the officer's report, the man's semen was found on the granny's thighs, but she told the court that the semen was inside her genitals.
North West pastor accused of raping granny acquitted
Image: Supplied
A North West pastor who was accused of raping a granny three years ago was acquitted by the Lehurutshe magistrate's court on Monday.
Jehovah Jireh Ministries' pastor Shepherd Lugalo, who came to court with his wife Thandeka Lugalo, looked relieved after the judgment and hugged his wife of eight years in excitement.
He was accused of raping the 69-year-old granny on February 14 2015 after he gave her a lift from Zeerust to Botswana.
Magistrate Stephen du Toit acquitted him based on the J88 medical form, which stated there was no penetration or bruises on the victim.
The magistrate said the victim had over-exaggerated the penis size of the accused, including the duration of the intercourse. She had testified that the sexual intercourse lasted for three hours, from 11am to 2pm, because the pastor's penis was too big and he had struggled to penetrate her.
She also said three condoms were damaged during the whole ordeal. But Du Toit said the victim had also contradicted the evidence of the policeman who attended to the scene.
According to the officer's report, the man's semen was found on the granny's thighs, but she told the court that the semen was inside her genitals.
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The woman was not in court yesterday for the judgment.
Outside court, Lugalo said on the day of the incident he gave the woman a lift but on their way she forcefully masturbated him until his semen came out. Lugalo denied ever penetrating the granny.
"I am happy that it has come to an end and that I was proven not guilty. I was accused of something I could not do, this has tarnished my name as the man of God," the pastor said. "Today is the end of everything. I've lost friends over this and people had written me off."
He said after the incident people, including other pastors, thought he was one of the fake prophets.
"This has proven them wrong," he said.
Thandeka said it was tough but she decided to support her husband.
"I stood by him because knowing the person he is, the kind of character that he has, I did not believe for a second that he did it," she said.
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