A Toronto pastor has been found guilty of sexually assaulting three former parishioners and administering a noxious substance to two of them, an Ontario Superior Court Justice ruled Thursday.Wayne Jones was also convicted of aggravated assault and theft of $20,000, jewelry and fraudulently selling a car.The three women testified Jones coerced sex with them under the pretext that it was required for a “spiritual purpose” that would in some way assist each of them.“The similarities in the evidence are probative of the Crown’s position that Mr. Jones was using his position as a pastor to convince the complainants, members of his church who believed in him, that sexual intercourse with him was part of a larger spiritual plan,” Justice Suhail Akhtar wrote in a 57-page judgment.Akhtar dismissed one count of sexual assault in connection with a fourth woman, known as Z.He also dismissed three theft of monies charges. Akhtar said he believed two of the women gave money and other property to Jones, but agreed with defence lawyer Randall Barrs that the details of those transactions were “insufficiently” clear to convict him on those counts.Jones, 57, admitted having sex with the women but argued it was consensual. The identity of the complainants is subject to a publication ban.Barrs said Jones plans to appeal.He was convicted of sexually assaulting two sisters, called X and Y, and delivering a noxious substance to them during the ’80s and early ’90s while serving as a pastor, and founder, of the Trinidadian-based Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Scarborough.The women testified Jones persuaded them to engage in purification rituals to chase away voodoo hexes. During the trial, Jones denied his ministry believed in voodoo.He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting another woman, called B, between 2010 and 2013, after she joined his new church called the United Baptist Church, now located in Markham.She testified Jones ...
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