FOUR months after The Fiji Times began enquiring the whereabouts of a pastor who had been tried and convicted in absentia for sexually assaulting 12 boys between the ages of nine and 16, police have finally confirmed he was arrested on Thursday and handed over to the corrections authorities.

Since his sentencing on December 4 last year, this newspaper could not establish whether an active search was in force because he never made it to the Police’s Most Wanted list, which is released every week.

Up until Thursday, the pastor’s whereabouts remained unknown, and it was unclear if he was in the custody of the authorities or if he was on the run — because several emails sent from January through to March — to the Police, Corrections Services and the Director of Public Prosecutions remained unanswered.

On Thursday, after the DPP’s office was told via email that an article on the pastor would be published, a response saying “a committal warrant was issued, and our office had written to police to execute the same” was received.

Police also responded close to 6pm on Thursday to say the man had been arrested and handed over to corrections.

On December 4 last year, Magistrate Seini Puamau had presided over the man’s trial in absentia after he failed to appear in court.

A bench warrant was then issued for the arrest of the 43-year-old who had been charged with four counts of indecent assault, three of indecently insulting a person, two of sexual assault, two of assault with intent to rape, one of sexual assault and one of attempted sexual assault.

Magistrate Puamau sentenced the pastor to a nine-year term, but he had to serve seven years before he could be considered for parole.

In her ruling, Ms Puamau had expressed her regret at releasing the accused on bail.

“You (accused) engaged in a multiple sex crime spree against children in a village that you were responsible for as pastor,” Ms Puamau had said.

“You deliberately used your position of authority as a man of the cloth to prey upon 12 young boys.”