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New York 'Pandit' Gets 3 Years For Sexual Abuse

The 21-year-old victim of sexual abuse had a terse message for the pandit: Do not practice the Hindu religion "for wrong reasons."

A few hours earlier, Pandit Mokesh Naraine Prashad had stood before judge Ronald Hollie in a New York courtroom and asserted once again that he was innocent.

But at his trial a few months ago, the jury had rejected his contention and believed the victim, who was 19 when she had gone to Prashad for astrological counselling. On Monday, judge Hollie sentenced Prashad to three years in a state prison.

"I've been a priest for 20 years. All I tried to do was try to help," Prashad had said in a quivering voice before the sentencing. His lawyers had unsuccessfully argued that it was the woman who had sexually forced herself on Prashad, and concocted the tale of sexual abuse when he spurned her.

"I feel sorry for the girl. I hope one day she will face the truth and admit I didn't do anything improper at all," Prashad said. "If I had to help her again, I would." Prashad, 36, who has two children, said he is "devastated by my predicament."

The woman, who has been married since the sex abuse incident and has two children, said she had gone Prashad at the insistence of her mother. Like Prashad and other members of the congregation she too is from Guyana. "I need to look into your soul," Prashad reportedly told her, according to court documents. "In order to look into your soul, I need to take off your blouse."

She said she obeyed him because "in the Hindu religion, you're supposed to respect the priest." Though Anthony Colleluori, Prashad's attorney, questioned each of her allegations, she stood her ground. She said Prashad produced a crystal ball and began to ask her sexually explicit questions.

Prosecutors say Prashad used a date-rape drug and the woman had passed out for some time. But she woke up soon, pushed him away from the bed and rushed out of his house, screaming for help. Assistant District Attorney John Carroll, who described Prashad as "a sexual predator" said the victim never wavered in her resolution to convince the jury.

Prashad has about 60 people attending the mandir regularly. Some of them attended the trial and offered to vouch for him. The victim told reporters soon after the sentencing she had been offered money by several people in the congregation two years ago to drop her complaint. She also had many threatening phone calls, she said.

Though it was not easy for her to relive the traumatic experience, she said her abiding faith in Hinduism made her fight for justice. She also said she knew money or any other material comfort could never heal her emotional scars.

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