- London, Feb. 19, 2005
NRIpress
- A
Hindu priest was given 12 years jail by
Croydon Crown Court after being found guilty of twice
raping a woman aged 29. Ramanathan Somanathan, 41,
whose temple was in Croydon, received 9 years for
the first rape and 12 years for the other, to run
concurrently
UK
NRI, Hindu priest found guilty for raping female worshipper
by telling her that his wife from previous life
London, January 31 2005
NRIpress
Ramanathan Somanathan, a Hindu priest
Ramanathan Somanathan, a Hindu priest at a Thornton
Heath temple has been found guilty of twice raping a
female worshipper.
Ramanathan abused his position as a respected priest
at the Sivaskanthagiri Arulmigu Murugan Temple in Thornton
Road, twice raping a 29-year-old woman.
The unnamed rape victim first went to the married Somanathan
to have her horoscope read after she decided to buy
a new flat.
Gillian Etherton, the prosecuting barrister, said:
"He said she had beautiful eyes and it was good
that she had left her husband. He said they had had
a past life together. She had married him and that they
had loved each other. She had committed suicide in the
past life but god had sent her to him."
Etherton said she wanted Somanathan to hold a prayer
meeting at her new flat, the Eastern Eye, the leading
British Asian weekly, reported.
On July 11, 2002, he came to her flat and the court
heard that he made her sit next to him and tried to
hug and kiss her, but she made it clear that she was
not interested.
Etherton added: "He held her by the arms and told
her he had a right over her because she was still his
wife and he loved her. He threatened her with the consequences
of upsetting their god."
He then raped her, despite her begging him to stop,
and afterwards told her: "You are going to be lucky
in your life."
Miss Gillian Etherton, prosecuting, told the court
Somanathan had also sexually harassed other worshippers
at the temple, and many had been afraid to come forward
fearing a backlash from the local Hindu community. She
said: "Three members of the Thornton Heath temple
gave disturbing evidence and a pattern of behaviour
emerges.
The defendant treated women in vulnerable and desperate
states and set up a pattern of sexual harassment.
She added: "In due course the defendant gets their
telephone numbers and a series of phone calls are made.
"Initially, the defendant appears to be a concerned
priest but the conversation soon turns sexual in nature."
The court heard how the chairman of another temple
in Tooting had decided not to renew Somanathan's contract
when he worked there six years ago because he had become
concerned about the defendant's behaviour towards women.
Somanathan had denied the charges and his defence barrister
argued the victim had become obsessed with the priest,
which she denied during cross-examination.
Giving evidence the woman said the second time she
was raped at her home in November 2002 she became pregnant
and decided to have an abortion.
She also admitted attempting suicide several times
following the assaults.
Somanathan is due to be sentenced at Croydon Crown
Court on February 18, 2005
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