A newlywed church deacon has escaped prison after being found guilty of indecently assaulting two teenage girls from his congregation. A church deacon at Word of Life International Ministry, Edson O’Shea (43), has been found guilty of two counts of inappropriately kissing and touching the genitals of two Level 2 learners. The Gweru District judge convicted the deacon due to overwhelming evidence.
She sentenced him to seven months in prison before suspending three months of his sentence on the condition of good behaviour. O’Shea’s sentence was suspended for the full four months on the condition that he pay a $400 fine.
The court heard that on Christmas Eve last year, while the minors’ parents were in Bulawayo, O’Shea visited their residence and stayed for about 30 minutes. O’Shea asked the girls to accompany him to his car. He kissed and touched them inappropriately before their brother came over and pretended as if nothing had happened.
