Pastor sent intimate videos of himself to children

An evangelical pastor who sent intimate videos of himself to children he met through his church work dismissed the offences as "naughty" role play, prosecutors have said.

Walter Chahwanda, 34, of Chester, worked at the Apostolic Faith Mission before he set up his own church, Sound of Dominion, in Liverpool.

He met children at work before adding them online, chatting to them before "suddenly" sending them explicit photos and videos for "his own gratification", the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

Chahwanada, who also sexually assaulted a child under the age of 14, has been found guilty of 17 offences after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

The pastor, who was described as having a role of authority and trust in the churches, targeted nine victims, including young women, over a period of about four years.

After meeting them, he would add them on Snapchat or Instagram, before starting to talk about their appearance and "sexualising" the chat, the CPS said.

He would then send the images to his "shocked and confused" victims, while goading them to reveal what he was doing to others in order to "expose him", the court heard.

The thought of being caught appeared to be part of his sexual fantasies, the CPS said.

The church was made aware of the images, but Chahwanada refused to stop.

The father of one of the victims reported what had happened to the NSPCC and several other victims also went to the police and support organisations.

He was first arrested in February 2024 and denied the allegations but admitted to having "sexualised" conversations online, which he passed off as "naughty" role play.

Aaron Smith of the CPS said: "He told them he was risking everything by his actions, but it was the women and girls who were the ones who felt trapped and disgusted by what he was doing.

"They found it difficult to comprehend that a man in Chahwanda's position would act in such a manner and, in some instances, felt unable to talk about sex openly with others."

The 34-year-old, of Plemonstall Court in Chester, pleaded not guilty to 22 offences and was found guilty of 17 by a jury on Tuesday.

He was convicted of five counts of sexual activity with a child, six of sending an indecent electronic image, three of causing a child to watch a sexual act, three of sexual communication with a child, and two of blackmail.

Chahwanada was found not guilty of rape, assault by penetration, and one count of sending a picture of genitals.

He will be sentenced on 20 March.

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