Obaapa Christy’s Ex-Husband, Pastor Love, Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Stealing
A 4-year prison sentence with hard labour has been handed down to Pastor Hammond Love, popularly known as Pastor Love, by a Circuit Court in Accra for the crime of stealing.
Pastor Love, ex-husband of gospel musician Obaapa Christy, was found guilty of the offence after seven years of trial. Prior to his sentencing, Pastor Love, visibly distraught, begged the Court for leniency and offered to pay any fine imposed upon him.
The Judge, Isaac Addo, considered Pastor Love’s status as a first-time offender, but ultimately decided that as a religious leader, he should be held to a higher standard of integrity, particularly when it comes to trust. Therefore, he sentenced Pastor Love to 4 years in prison as a fair warning to others
ASP Frimpong presented the case facts: Samuel Amankwah, a US resident and Pastor Love’s close friend, shipped a 4×4 vehicle to Ghana in 2016 and asked Pastor Love to clear it.
The convict cleared the said vehicle with his money, after which the complainant told him to sell it for 50 thousand dollars and deduct the amount he paid as duty. Later, the complainant told Pastor Love to hold on with the sale of the vehicle as he would travel into the country and refund his money.
In April 2017, the complainant arrived in the country and contacted Pastor Love for his vehicle, but he could not produce it upon several demands.
The complainant lodged a complaint with the Police and Pastor Love was arrested in May 2017.
During interrogation, convicted Pastor Love told the Police that he secured a loan of 40 thousand cedis with 20 percent interest to clear the vehicle and was accruing more interest, so he sold the vehicle at 80 thousand cedis without the consent of the owner and paid 70 thousand cedis to the loan company.
Meanwhile, Pastor Love failed to provide evidence to support his claim, as he couldn’t lead the police to the loan company or reveal the vehicle’s buyer. This lack of transparency led the judge to conclude that Pastor Love was dishonest in his testimony.
