SHAMED preacher Walter Masocha who is based in Scotland abused the trust of women in his flock who literally worshipped the ground he walked on.
A disillusioned member of his church told how he surrounded himself with women he called Daddy’s Dancing Girls and would give them flannels soaked in his sweat as gifts.
Images showing women throwing themselves at Masocha, founder of the Stirling-based Agape for All Nations Church, during one of his sermons can be revealed as he prepares to be sentenced after being convicted of two sex charges.
A six-day trial heard he groped a deaconess while he was supposed to be praying for her stomach complaint and put his hand down a schoolgirl’s trousers saying he was trying to remove demons.
When the 32-year-old victim told her husband, also a member of the church, he told her: “The prophet is seeing something in your genitals that needs to be removed, so he was removing that.”
Church members later tried to have her sectioned.
But a former member said suspicions were raised over Zimbabwe-born Masocha’s behaviour in 2008.
The preacher sparked concern after regularly inviting women worshippers to private “surgeries” held in his bedroom but banned their husbands from attending.
One churchgoer, who is still a member of Agape, said: “He was obviously behaving inappropriately at this point.
“People made the suggestion that we get the Association of Christian Counsellors involved but that was ignored.
“Masocha didn’t want that because he wouldn’t be able to get away with what he was doing.
“There were women flocking around him all the time, they worshipped him.
“People travelled from all over the UK to see him. Often there were women in sleeping bags on his living room floor as they waited for an appointment with him.
“It caused divisions between many married couples, because he would see the wives in his bedroom and not let the husbands in. He’d gain their trust and shut out their husbands.
“He liked to be called Daddy or Baba, the females all called him that. Nobody called him Walter, that would have been seen as disrespectful.”
The church has worshippers from all over the UK but the Stirling congregation was seen as its lynchpin.
Masocha’s hold over the female members of his flock is clear.
One witness said: “The women were literally at his feet. They were known as Daddy’s Dancing Girls.
“It wasn’t healthy, they thought he was anointed.
“He encouraged this. The speakers who recommended he be made an apostle at the conference were organised by him.
“It was all ego. He would take advantage of vulnerable people who wanted support.
“He was like their father figure and I think that was what the draw was, he just showered them with love and concern.”
The church member now believes Masocha preyed on vulnerable people to set up his church.
He added: “The church started off with no officials at all but he was promising people positions.
“We had a whole year of running around doing things for him, hoping we would get positions.
“Looking back, I can see it was him conditioning everybody, controlling everybody.
“He gave out the flannels he used to wipe his brow with as gifts.
“Everybody would buy him food and prepare it, but nobody could eat until he had prayed for it.
“There was always just a big fuss around him.
“He would walk in and sit down and everyone ran around after him. He had a cook, a driver and a bodyguard.
“As far as he was concerned he’d been anointed and he didn’t want that image to be compromised.
“These people were in a bad place psychologically so it was easy for him to have control over them.”
Former Stirling University lecturer Masocha, who was paid by the church, has also been accused of putting pressure on his followers to part with their cash.
Said the church member: “Soon after the church was set up, Dr Masocha gave up his post at the university.
“It meant that the members had to support him financially which was a big burden for us all. People were encouraged to give as much as they could.
“I know people who gave donations of more than £1000.”
In April, a jury at Falkirk Sheriff Court convicted Masocha of sexually assaulting the deaconess and sexually touching the teen.
Masocha had earlier been cleared of two other charges, including one of sexual behaviour with a 13-year-old girl.
He is due to be sentenced on Tuesday.
A disillusioned member of his church told how he surrounded himself with women he called Daddy’s Dancing Girls and would give them flannels soaked in his sweat as gifts.
Images showing women throwing themselves at Masocha, founder of the Stirling-based Agape for All Nations Church, during one of his sermons can be revealed as he prepares to be sentenced after being convicted of two sex charges.
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| Daddy’s Dancing Girls ... Walter Masocha and the women who 'worshipped' him |
When the 32-year-old victim told her husband, also a member of the church, he told her: “The prophet is seeing something in your genitals that needs to be removed, so he was removing that.”
Church members later tried to have her sectioned.
But a former member said suspicions were raised over Zimbabwe-born Masocha’s behaviour in 2008.
The preacher sparked concern after regularly inviting women worshippers to private “surgeries” held in his bedroom but banned their husbands from attending.
One churchgoer, who is still a member of Agape, said: “He was obviously behaving inappropriately at this point.
“People made the suggestion that we get the Association of Christian Counsellors involved but that was ignored.
“Masocha didn’t want that because he wouldn’t be able to get away with what he was doing.
“There were women flocking around him all the time, they worshipped him.
“People travelled from all over the UK to see him. Often there were women in sleeping bags on his living room floor as they waited for an appointment with him.
“It caused divisions between many married couples, because he would see the wives in his bedroom and not let the husbands in. He’d gain their trust and shut out their husbands.
“He liked to be called Daddy or Baba, the females all called him that. Nobody called him Walter, that would have been seen as disrespectful.”
The church has worshippers from all over the UK but the Stirling congregation was seen as its lynchpin.
Masocha’s hold over the female members of his flock is clear.
 |
| The images (see above) show women lying at his feet, as he performs a so-called “deliverance” ritual by touching their heads. |
“It wasn’t healthy, they thought he was anointed.
“He encouraged this. The speakers who recommended he be made an apostle at the conference were organised by him.
“It was all ego. He would take advantage of vulnerable people who wanted support.
“He was like their father figure and I think that was what the draw was, he just showered them with love and concern.”
The church member now believes Masocha preyed on vulnerable people to set up his church.
He added: “The church started off with no officials at all but he was promising people positions.
“We had a whole year of running around doing things for him, hoping we would get positions.
“Looking back, I can see it was him conditioning everybody, controlling everybody.
“He gave out the flannels he used to wipe his brow with as gifts.
“Everybody would buy him food and prepare it, but nobody could eat until he had prayed for it.
“There was always just a big fuss around him.
“He would walk in and sit down and everyone ran around after him. He had a cook, a driver and a bodyguard.
“As far as he was concerned he’d been anointed and he didn’t want that image to be compromised.
“These people were in a bad place psychologically so it was easy for him to have control over them.”
Former Stirling University lecturer Masocha, who was paid by the church, has also been accused of putting pressure on his followers to part with their cash.
Said the church member: “Soon after the church was set up, Dr Masocha gave up his post at the university.
“It meant that the members had to support him financially which was a big burden for us all. People were encouraged to give as much as they could.
“I know people who gave donations of more than £1000.”
In April, a jury at Falkirk Sheriff Court convicted Masocha of sexually assaulting the deaconess and sexually touching the teen.
Masocha had earlier been cleared of two other charges, including one of sexual behaviour with a 13-year-old girl.
He is due to be sentenced on Tuesday.
