• 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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