Roman Catholic priest accused of child sexual abuse granted $800,000 bail
Roman Catholic priest Lawrence Muvengi, charged with the alleged sexual abuse of a child, was awarded $800,000 bail when he appeared before the St Catherine Parish Court on Wednesday.
He was ordered to report to the Matilda Corner police three times weekly, surrender his travel documents and avoid contact with the complainant.
He will return to court on September 27, when the matter is again mentioned.
Muvengi is charged with rape, sexual grooming, having sexual intercourse with a person under 16, and abduction.
When the case was mentioned on Tuesday, Parish Judge Natalie Creary-Dixon requested documentation on whether the accused has had any prior brush with the law.
The required documents were furnished to the court on Wednesday.
Attorney-at-law Charles Williams represented Muvengi in court.
Allegations are that Muvengi sexually abused the child on the compound of the church, which is located in Portmore, St Catherine, on several occasions in April.
The matter was reported to the police's Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA).
An investigation was launched, which resulted in the arrest of the clergyman.
He was formally charged following a question-and-answer session.
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