The evangelical pastor Joilson da Silva de Freitas Santos, 39 years old, was arrested by the Civil Police of Guarulhos, in Greater São Paulo, as suspected of sexually abusing children and adolescents from the Lagoinha Baptist Church. The arrest took place on Wednesday night (7).
According to investigations by the 5th DP of Guarulhos, the pastor had a cell (a kind of study group) formed by children and adolescents to discuss issues related to sexuality.
With this justification, the religious leader forced the victims to search for pornographic videos and photos on the internet, according to the police. Then, according to the police, he blackmailed the victims and had sex with them in his apartment.
On June 1, a 16-year-old teenager reported the violence at the door of the pastor’s building, which led to the registration of a police report. Police officers have yet to characterize the situation as attempted rape or actual rape.
During investigations, police discovered two other victims, aged 17 and 13. In the face of this information, Fulvio Mecca, the delegate responsible for the 5th DP of Guarulhos, asked for Joilson’s arrest.
“The temporary prison is 30 days, but, as it is a heinous crime, it can be extended to 60 days”, explains the delegate.
The police also seized computer memories, cell phones, a tablet, a notebook and even a mattress, where the rapes would have been committed, in Joilson’s apartment.
The pastor is married and has no police records. As the acts of violence would have taken place in the family’s apartment, the police are also investigating the woman’s possible connivance.
According to the Secretariat of Public Security, “the police investigation is still ongoing by the unit to clarify the crimes. Other details will be preserved due to the nature of the occurrence and for the preservation of the victims.”
The report tried to contact Joilson’s lawyers, but the police reported that they had not yet formally presented themselves. Representatives of Lagoinha Church did not return contacts. On TV Globo, the church’s lawyer said that the suspect was not a pastor of the church.
Source: CNN Brasil
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