Windhoek
Rhenish Mission Church pastor Elvis Jansen, who is accused of raping a minor member of his congregation, made a first appearance in the Katutura Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Jansen was not asked to plead on a charge of rape, alternatively having sexual intercourse with a minor.
Public prosecutor Fillemon Nyau objected to bail being granted to Jansen, citing the seriousness of the offence, public interest and fear that the accused would intimidate the victim.
The accused’s defence counsel Winnie Christians informed magistrate Ileni Velikoshi that he would bring a formal bail application today.
Christians asked the court to remand his client at Hosea Kutako police cells.
It is alleged that the accused had sexual intercourse with the girl who, according to information provided, only turned 16 in February this year. It is alleged the affair between the married pastor and the young girl started in June last year. Apparently the father of the girl found compromising SMS’s on her phone and alerted the police.
Speaking to the media after the case was postponed, Christians said his client vehemently denies that he had a sexual relationship with the complainant. He further rubbished claims in a local daily that Jansen is a “serial rapist” and that he tried to run away.
According to Christians his client’s ordeal started on Wednesday last week when the reporter called him on his mobile phone to question him about rumours that he was involved with a minor girl in Groot-Aub, a village between Windhoek and Rehoboth. He said his client immediately went to the Rehoboth police to enquire about it, but they denied knowing about it.
The next day (Thursday) Jansen was approached by members of the police stationed at Groot-Aub who asked him to accompany them to Groot-Aub to answer some questions. Upon their arrival at Groot-Aub he was asked to wait for police officers from Windhoek, but as they took long to arrive he told the Groot-Aub police he wanted to go home to inform his wife of what had happened.
However, Christians explained, Jansen became very emotional and decided to rather drive to Mariental to get himself together. That was when the Groot-Aub police started looking for him and he was phoned that evening by one Inspector Claasen, and they agreed that he would that night sleep in Mariental and return the next morning to Rehoboth. The next day he returned and went to the law office of Christians in Rehoboth where the police eventually arrested him.
Christians also had an issue with the comments in the newspaper story that Jansen was allegedly very active on social media even after his arrest. According to Christians, his client left his phone in the care of his wife and did not go onto social media while in custody, and neither did his wife.
He said it was only on Saturday evening when the wife switched on the phone of the pastor that she saw all the well-wishes from friends and family on social media. Christians further told New Era that a whole contingent of police officers descended on the home of the pastor on Saturday evening to collect Jansen’s phone.