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KINGSTON, Jamaica – A 55-year-old pastor is to return to court on February 24 after he was found guilty of having sexual intercourse with a minor in March 2015.

A statement issued by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) said that Paul Hanniford was found guilty of the crime during an in-camera trial held at the Home Circuit Court.

The seven-member jury, which was unanimous in its guilty verdict, deliberated for an hour and 20 minutes after instructions were given by Justice Lorna Shelly-Williams.

The statement by the DPP said the court was told that the minor, who was 13 years old at the time the offence was committed, was a member of the Pentecostal City Mission Church and was baptised by Hanniford.

The DPP said the complainant, who is now 15 years old, testified in court that on March 12, 2015, she and her five-year-old brother went to the church for choir practice and after the rehearsal they asked Pastor Hanniford for a drive out in his van.

The statement noted that the pastor took the children to his house in Kingston where the complainant requested the use of the bathroom and while there in the bathroom the pastor entered.

“The complainant was pushed by the pastor outside the bathroom onto a bed that was inside a nearby bedroom and sexually assaulted her,” the DPP said.

Prosecutors led evidence that the complainant managed to push the pastor off and went outside of the bedroom where her brother was.

The court was told that her cries of “help, help” were overheard by her brother, who had climbed onto a chair and peeped through a hole in the door and observed Pastor Hanniford sexually assaulting his sister which made him feel “sad”.

According to the evidence presented to the court, after the complainant managed to leave the room, on re-joining her brother, the pastor gave them some cornflakes to eat and later warned the complainant not to tell anyone as it was their “secret”.

But the complainant’s brother made a report to his mother in the presence of the pastor about what he had seen and the following day a meeting was convened at the church with the bishop, the pastor, the complainant, her brother and the children’s parents.

On April 14, 2015, a report was made to the police and the pastor was arrested. He was subsequently charged.

In his defence at the trial, the pastor denied having sexual intercourse with the complainant and said that he had given the children a drive out but not on the day in question.