Pastor accused of sexual abuse attempts suicide

By Jude Samantha and Augustine Fernando
A Christian pastor, who had allegedly lured two under-aged girls into a church saying that they should offer their virginity to God, and had sexually abused them, had attempted to commit suicide when police officers went to arrest him on Wednesday (15), the Chilaw Police said.
The suspect had been identified as a 30-year-old married man from the Irattakulam area in Madampe. He had been serving as a clergyman at a church in the Pambala area in Chilaw. One of the victims, who is now nineteen (19) and resides in Nattandiya, had told police that the suspect had abused her first  inside the church  when she was 15-years-old, and that she had been abused by him on several occasions thereafter. The other girl had lodged a complaint against the suspect, saying that she was abused when she was just 13-years-old.
Police said that they had been informed that there had been more allegations of sexual abuse made against the suspect by several other women as well but no complaints had been lodged by them as yet.
While the suspect who was in a serious condition after consuming poison was receiving treatment at the Chilaw Hospital the two girls who were alleged to have been abused were subjected to a medical examination.
Further investigations by the Chilaw Police into the case were continuing.