A pastor at the Progressive Baptist Church of Brownsville in Brooklyn was arrested on Thursday on sexual assault charges on a 14-year old female relative.
According to PIX11 News, Matthew Gibson, who is the son of the bishop of the church was arrested on Thursday on charges of criminal sex abuse and forcible touching of a female victim between the ages of 9 and 14.
Speaking with PIX11 News, the grandmother of the victim condemned Gibson’s abominable act.
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“He should rot in hell,” she said. “How can a father do this?”.
Another relative, according to PIX11 News, broke down in tears whilst talking about the alleged abuse. According to her, they got wind of the situation just last Wednesday when they realized the victim was behaving weirdly.
“She just blurted it out to us,” the relative said. “We want to speak to the district attorney’s office because you failed us as well. We just found out he got a $10,000 bail, which is unheard of for a case like this. We’re really disappointed with the district attorney for setting his bail so low. It’s a shame.”
According to the New York Post, the abuse, which occurred between 2013 and 2017 started right after the victim’s mother died. The victim told the police Gibson sexually abused her in different rooms in the church.
The family also claimed this was not the first time an incident of such nature had occurred in the church as other young girls had also been sexually abused and assaulted by other male heads in the church with some even getting pregnant, according to The Grio.
On Sunday, demonstrators including the victim’s family as well as sympathizers gathered outside the church calling for its closure and for the law to take its course.
