Pastor Joseph arrested on sex charges

A Trinidad pastor who has conducted services in St.Vincent and the Grenadines is on remand in Trinidad after six sex charges were laid against him.{{more}}

Pastor Brian Joseph has reportedly officiated at services held here at the Diamond Deliverance Assembly.

He was refused bail when he appeared before the Chaguanas First Court Magistrate Gail Gonzales on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009, charged with sex crimes in which the alleged victims were teenage boys.

The 47-year-old Joseph, Pastor at the Ebenezer Apostolic Tabernacle Church at Enterprise Village, Chaguanas, turned himself over to police on Monday last week after he learnt that a warrant was out for his arrest.

It is alleged that during January 2008 to October 2009, Joseph sexually assaulted and committed grievous sexual indecency against the teenagers on six occasions. The charges stated that the acts were committed during the months of January, March, November, September, and August at Enterprise, Chaguanas.

The Trinidad Express stated that tearful and trembling Joseph told the court he was framed.

The Trinidad Express added that despite Joseph was cautioned not to speak he told the court that the people who accused him were not teen boys, but ‘big married men’, and it was not possible for him to do such a thing.

He said the men were trying to ‘set me up’, because he had tried to discipline them.

Joseph was remanded on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009, and was expected to reappear in court on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009.