By Forkpayea Taylor
The Christian Revival Church Association of Liberia an indigenous Church planting ministries in Liberia that is growing fast, was heavily accused falsely by Pastor Abraham Gargannah former Senior Pastor of the Monrovia Christian Revival Church Association of Liberia has been acquitted by the court.
Pastor Abraham Gargannah was financially supported by the Mission Director of the Christian Revival Church Association Revered Dennis Aggrey to complete his Bible Studies, at one of Liberia best Biblical Teaching Institutions.
The Ex-Communicated Abraham Gargannah was raised by the Christian Revival Church Association of Liberia and promoted to the rank of Senior Pastor of the Monrovia Christian Revival Church Association, located on the Chessman Avenue on 13th Street Sinkor in Montserrado County by the Elder Council of the Christian Revival Church Association in consensus with Rev. Dennis Aggrey.
In an interview with this News Paper, Abraham Gargannah confirmed that he was supported in School by the Mission Director of the Christian Revival Church Association (CRCA) Rev. Dennis Aggrey and eventually lives in the premises of the Aggrey Grooves’ Compound in Duport Road in Paynesville City outside Monrovia with his wife while going to School.
Pastor Abraham Gargannah, appealed to Rev. Aggrey and the Board of the Christian Revival Church Association for forgiveness during a meeting that was presided over by Bomi County Dsitrict#1 Representative Bishop Manah Johnson a strong member of the Christian Revival Church Association of Liberia, who initially intervened and called a meeting between his fellow CRCA members to avoid exacerbation of the matter to the general public.
Representative Bishop Manneh Johnson managed to assemble the dispute parties to dialogue which led to an amicable solution to the dispute between Pastor Abraham Gargannah and Brother Livingstone and others of the CRCA to get the indigenous Church on the right trajectory in promulgating the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Despite the false accusation against Rev. Dennis Aggrey, Jonathan V. Wolobah and John Kucuyoyoigee by Pastor Abraham Gargannah and subsequent appealed during the meeting with Bomi County District# 1 Representative Bishop Manah Johnson at the Monrovia Christian Revival Church Association on 13th Street.
The Ex- Communicated Pastor of the Monrovia Christian Revival Church Association of Liberia out of disrespect proceeded to the Monrovia Magisterial Court with a Case against his superior spiritual leaders Charged with the Crimes of Simple Assault and Felonious Restraint on grounds that he was beaten by the accused during a regular Sunday’s worship Service at the Monrovia Christian Revival Church Association on 13th Street in Sinkor.
The Court’s ruling, this case comes up on appeal from the Monrovia City Magisterial Court, Temple of Justice , to this Court, to be heard during this May, A.D. 2019 Term of Court .
According to the facts, the three Defendants, Dennis T. Aggrey, Jonathan V. Wolobah and John Y. Kucuyoyoigee of the Monrovia Christian Revival Church, on 13th Street, Chessman Avenue, Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia were charged with simple Assault and felonious Restraint against the Private Prosecutor, Abraham Gargannah who is alleged to have been attacked, beaten and sustained injuries as a result of the said beating. The records states that the said acts occurred on the 1st day of July, A.D. 2018 during a regular worship service.
A regular trial was heard and Associate Magistrate, Lassana L. Kamara, ruled, that the Defendants were “NOT GUITY” of “ FELONIOUS RESTRAINT” BUT RATHER “GUILTY “ of SIMPLE ASSAULT”. They were sentenced to four (4) months of imprisonment and to pay a fine of Four Hundred United States Dollars (US $ 400.00) each into the Judiciary Account.
According to our Penal Law, Chapter 14, Section 14.21: “SIMPLE ASSAULT”- a person is guilty of a Simple Assault if he:
a. Purposely, knowingly, or recklessly causes bodily injury to another; or
b. Negligently causes bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon.
“Simple Assault”, is the least serious form of assault and typically results in limited injuries or threats of violence. To prove” Simple Assault”, there are three (3) elements which must be proved in order to set a conviction. They are: intent, Reasonable Apprehension and Harm.
The defendant must have intended to threaten or scared an individual into believing they were going to be physically harmed. This is usually satisfied with some type of act, gesture, or words to convey and the victim must feel a sense of imminent threat. If the victim was unaware of the threat or the threat was something like “in exactly one year, I’II come back and finish you” it will most likely not meet the requirement of imminent threat.
REASONABLE APPRHENSION: The victim must have perceived that a harm or threat made by the defendant could possibly happen. If the victim does not perceive the threat to be real or directed towards him; then the threat has not created reasonable apprehension and this element will not be fulfilled.
The Victim must actually be harmed in some kind of way. This could include hearing a threat of physical injury and becoming fearful that you would be physical harmed as a result.
In the case at bar, the above elements were never proven by the prosecutors or the Private Prosecutor. Our Criminal Procedural Law, Chapter 2, Section 2.1, and Says: a defendant in a criminal action is presumed to be innocent until the contrary is proved and in case of reasonable doubt, whether his guilt is satisfactorily shown, he is entitled to an acquittal.” To prove an injury sustained by a medical report, the medical practitioner writing said report is the best person to interpret the report, and not the victim himself. This was an error on the part of the hearing magistrate.
Court’s Ruling
WHEREFORE AND IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, the Judgment of the lower Court is hereby REVERSED and the hearing Magistrate is hereby ordered to return the bail bond filed with Court, and allow the defendants, Dennis T. Aggrey, Jonathan V. Wolobah and John Y. Kucuyoyoigee to go about their normal business and not to answer to the charge of “SIMPLE ASSAULT” again. The Clerk of this Honorable Court is also ordered to do a communication to the hearing Magistrate, informing him of this Court’s decision. And it is hereby so ordered. Matter Reversed.
Given under my hand and seal of this Honorable Court this 25th Day of June, A.D. 2019 Cllr. George S. Wiles, Jr. Assigned Circuit Judge Criminal Assizes’B”
In another development, the Christian Revival Church Association of Liberia recently received International Medical Practitioners in the Country that provided free Medical treatments for more than 1,000 ( One Thousand) Citizens of Kpassagizia Town, in Lofa County northern Liberia.
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