Pastor is imprisoned on suspicion of sexual abuse against adolescents from the church in Guarulhos

The evangelical pastor Joilson da Silva de Freitas Santos, 39, was arrested by the Civil Police of Guarulhos, in Grande São Paulo, on suspicion of sexually abusing children and adolescents from Igreja Batista da Lagoinha. A prisão ocorreu na noite quarta-feira (7).

According to the investigations of the 5th DP of Guarulhos, the pastor had a cell (kind of study group), made up of children and adolescents to discuss questions related to sexuality.

With this justification, the religious leader forced the victims to search for pornographic videos and photos on the internet, in agreement with the police. Then, second to the police, he blackmails the victims and maintains sexual relations with them in his apartment.

On June 1, a 16-year-old adolescent reported violence at the gate of the pastor’s property, or that he received a record of an occurrence bulletin. The police still will not characterize the situation as attempted rape or actual rape.

During the investigations, the police discovered other two victims, 17 and 13 years old. Given these informations, Fulvio Mecca, delegate responsible for the 5th PD of Guarulhos, asked Joilson’s prison.

“Temporary prison is 30 days, but, as it is a stink crime, it can be extended to 60 days”, explains the delegate.

The police officers also seized computer memories, cell phones, a tablet, a notebook and at a mattress, where the rapes had been committed, in Joilson’s apartment.

The pastor is married and does not have tickets to the police. As the acts of violence had occurred in the family’s apartment, the police also investigated the possible conivência of the woman.

According to the Secretary of Public Security, “the police investigation is still in 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 informed them that they still had not formally appeared. Representatives of Igreja Lagoinha will not return contacts. To TV Globo, the lawyer of the church said that he suspected he was not a pastor of the church.