"I did not fabricate story against Efo to cover up," Jesus One Touch

Accra, Nov. 3, GNA - Nana Kofi Yirenkyi, a.k.a "Jesus One Touch", Founder and General Overseer of the Jesus Blood Prophetic Ministry at Oblogo in Accra, on Wednesday denied that he fabricated a story against Efo Emmanuel, his watchman, to cover up the case of defilement against him.

Yirenkyi, 47, told an Accra Circuit Court that he personally went to the SCC Police Station at Weija to report that Efo had been inserting his fingers into the victim's private part. He disagreed with the prosecution that the story of Efo had been cooked up saying the victim's mother was aware of the story concerning Efo.

Yirenkyi, charged with incest and defilement, has denied the offence.

Answering questions under cross-examination led by Ms Helen Kwawukumeh, Chief State Attorney, Yirenkyi said it was unfortunate that the said Efo left his house without his knowledge. According to Yirenkyi, he does not know Efo's hometown saying he (Efo) only told him that "he comes from the Volta Region".

Narrating how he got to know Efo, Yirenkyi said Efo, who had been suffering from a boil for 17 years, came to his church for prayers. Yirenkyi, dressed in black suit, white shirt and red neck tie, further said after Efo, aged 50, was healed, he joined other church members to weed his compound and sometimes iron his clothes. Yirenkyi, who entered the dock with his Holy Bible, denied further that his own daughter was afraid of him because of the sexual encounters.

According to him, it was not true that he further threatened to beat the victim with his belt if she ever disclosed the sexual encounters between them to anyone. "I lived with the victim like a father and a daughter and it is not true that she ran away from me. If my daughter sees me and runs away then it is a result of the lies her mother had told her." Yirenkyi disagreed with the prosecution that he was not being truthful to the court.

"I swear by the bible that my hands are clean. I have never defiled my daughter," Yirenkyi said raising his right hand. He indicated to the court that on Saturdays and Sundays he held his church service from 0800 hours and denied that he had sex with the victim on those days.

On Tuesday, Yirenkyi told the court, he held "consultations" before commencing the church service.

"I have never had sex with my daughter for me to even use a white handkerchief to wipe my sperm," he told the court. He admitted that the victim visited her mother at Dawu in the Eastern Region during holidays.

Yirenkyi also admitted that he was agitated when the victim's mother came for the victim in Accra and took her to Dawu.

According to him, the victim's mother took her away while he was not at home hence his agitation and not the disclosure of any sexual act between him and the victim.

Yirenkyi, accused of defiling his 10-year daughter, is on remand and is expected to reappear on November 24. He has pleaded not guilty to incest and defilement and has been remanded in police custody.

The prosecution's case is that the victim, born out of wedlock, lived with her mother, Madam Asamaa, until 2005 when she left to live with the accused at McCarthy Hill in Accra to attend school. It said between 2008 and 2009, the accused started defiling the victim before going to church.

In November 2009, the accused granted an opportunity to the victim's mother to talk to her because she was misbehaving.

It was during the interaction that the victim revealed her ordeal to her mother.

The victim was initially examined by a medical doctor and later transferred to the Police Hospital for further treatment.