Kerala: Church priest surrenders in sexual assault case

One out of the five priests of Malankara Orthodox Church, who were accused of sexually assaulting a woman, surrendered on Thursday.

Father Mathew, one of the five accused in the case, surrendered before the Kollam Crime Branch, a day after the Kerala High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.

The Court had also dismissed anticipatory bail pleas filed by two other priests involved in the case.

For those unversed, five priests of Malankara Orthodox Church were accused of sexually assaulting a woman last month in Kottayam.

The accused allegedly threatened to disclose the victim's confessions, made in church.

The incident came to light when the victim's husband recovered an audio clip related to the case, following which investigation was initiated by the church.

Once the case was transferred to the Crime Branch, three of the accused priests applied for anticipatory bail in the Kerala High Court.

On a related note, the Malankara Orthodox Church had suspended all five priests after the complaint was filed.