Pastor, wife, and teen’s mom remanded in rape case

WESTERN BUREAU:

PASTOR JASON Rose, who is facing a rape charge for allegedly molesting a 15-year-old girl; his wife, Kemhi Rose; and the mother of the child, who are all charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, were all remanded yesterday when they appeared in the St James Parish Court.

The trio, who all appeared before Judge Sasha Ashley for the in-camera hearing, will spend at least an additional month in custody as they are booked to return to court on July 19.

Prior to the judge asking the media to leave ahead of the hearing, all three defendants were brought into the courtroom. They all seemed quite composed, albeit their faces were partially covered by masks.

It was the first court appearance for the two women while it was the second appearance for the pastor, who appeared in court on the rape charge against him on Monday. Following that appearance, he was offered bail in the sum of $300,000.

The Gleaner understands that bail was denied for the defendants yesterday out of concern for the 15-year-old complainant’s safety and the possibility of interference with the case.

“There is no combination of conditions to guarantee that the complainant will not be interfered with regarding the allegations in the case. The judge believes that the complainant is vulnerable at her age and that there is likelihood of interference,” a source told The Gleaner.

It is also understood that the case file for perverting the course of justice in the matter against Jason Rose was brought before the court for the first time on Wednesday. Additionally, the prosecution’s case file is almost complete, and the matter is expected to be sent to the St James Circuit Court for hearing soon.

When all three defendants return to court, the pastor will be answering to both the rape and perverting the course of justice charges while the two women will also answer to the latter charge.

Mrs Rose and the child’s mother were arrested and charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, along with several breaches of the Child Care and Protection Act, after allegedly trying to get the complainant to change her story to have the case dismissed.

The teen alleges that she was sexually abused by the pastor on the church compound.