By Precious D. Freeman
A Liberian Catholic Priest, Daniel L. George, has been arrested and is serving pre-trial detention at the Monrovia Central Prison for allegedly raping and sexually molesting a 16-year-old female in Monrovia.
Defendant George, 32, an Associate Priest at the Christ the King Parish in the Gaye Town Community, was arrested by the Liberia National Police (LNP) on October 12, 2024 and charged with the commission of Statutory Rape allegedly against the minor.
According to the LNP charged sheet dated October 15, 2024, the defendant on May, 8 2024, inserted his penis in the vagina of the victim on multiple occasions at the compound of Christ the King Catholic Church.
The charge further indicated that fth. George sexually molested the survivor who along with her family are members of his Christ the King congregation.
The investigation also stated that defendant George, being a priest, gained trust from the survivor’s parents who would call him to take their kids at the invisible Sports Park, a permission the survivor’s mother would grant.
However, the victim’s mother became uncomfortable with such attitude of the defendant and stopped him from taking the survivor out, her mother also went further to inform another Priest (Father Patrick) to stop the defendant from visiting her home.
Also, the survivor in an interview with the LNP averred that during the month of May, 2024, while at the church (Christ the King Catholic church), the defendant told her that he has some pictures for her at his house.
He asked her to follow him to pick them up but she told him that she needed to see her mother quickly. However, he insisted and convinced her that she wouldn’t stay long at his house.
The survivor added that she went at his residence and sat in the living room while he was in his bed room. Suddenly, he asked her to enter the room and help him find the pictures, which she did.
“Immediately as I entered his room, he pushed me and I fell on the bed, he undressed me and had sexual intercourse with me.
Also, in the month of June, 2024, defendant George entered the compound of my residence but I asked him to leave, but he refused and began to threaten me”, she recounted.
According to her, he threatened to kill her mother, citing that he had already assigned people at her mother’s office to kill her; therefore, if she refuses to have sex with him, her mother will be killed.
“That is how He forcefully had sexual intercourse with me in my mother living room and repeated the threat before leaving. Because of that, I stayed away from church for three months.
On Sunday October 6, 2024 I went to church because my mother insisted. My mother asked another lady (Jessica) to accompany me at the church” the charged explained.
The LNP further narrated that as the survivor got to the church, she avoided making contact with him (Priest) but he kept on calling her until the lady (Jessica) took notice and informed her that the defendant was calling her.
But, she refused to go to him and afterward left service and returned home.
“On Wednesday October 8, 2024, during the afternoon’s hour defendant George went at my parent’s residence after forcing himself to enter the fence. I was holding a knife while pealing orange fruit, and as he got closer, I warned him to stay away and also threatened to kill him. But at that time the nurse (Patience Sumo) had gone to buy medical drug (Flagyl) for me, so no other person was in the house except defendant George and herself,” she explained.
Accordingly, he engaged her physically and forcefully took the knife from her leaving her to sustain physical injury on her left wrist.
“He afterward went into my room and called me in eventually the nurse returned, and while I was trying to open the gate, he again threatened to kill two of us. I went back to him and he had sexual intercourse with me,” she explained.
The nurse (Patience) noticed that I was uncomfortable and horribly went out to inform my mother (Mrs. Kebben Whesseh)” she indicated.
She asserted that her mother entered the fence and caught defendant George in, he tried to hide himself but her mother got hold of him and called the church’s administrator and later informed the police.
