Pastor Timothy Omotoso, accused of rape, back in court – SABC News

The case against Pastor Timothy Omotoso, accused of rape, and his two co-accused, Zukiswa Sitho and Lusanda Sulani, continues today at the Gqeberha High Court.

Omotoso and his co-defendants face 32 charges, including rape, racketeering, human trafficking and assault.

In February, Omotoso and his two co-defendants won a partial victory when Presiding Judge Irma Schoeman ordered special entries to be made in their court records.

The judge granted only three of seven irregularities that the defense says were committed by the state.

The three entries indicate that the former public prosecutor, Mr Nceba Ntelwa, had proposed to his superiors that three prosecution witnesses commit perjury.

The failure of all lawyers involved to reveal contradictions in the testimonies and the fact that Ntelwa's superiors allowed him to pursue the case, despite his questionable conduct.

Other entries that Justice Schoeman did not allow into the court file, among others, relate to the court's failure to investigate whether Ntelwa had suggested to the witnesses that they commit perjury; and the State's failure to disclose that Ntelwa had created a WhatsApp group on which he communicated with the complainants.

Schoeman said some entries were no longer relevant because the defendants had been acquitted of certain charges, in which witnesses were allegedly encouraged to bribe themselves.

In October last year, an application to drop charges against the accused under Section 174 failed.

VIDEO | Timothy Omotoso rape trial resumes: