ST JAMES, Jamaica — All 16 members of the Montego Bay-based religious group, Qahal Yahweh, who were charged in 2023 with breaches of the Education Act, cruelty to children and indecent assault, were acquitted of all charges on Wednesday.

The verdicts were delivered by Judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce, who upheld a no-case submission made in May by defence attorneys Peter Champagnie, KC, and Samoi Campbell.

READ: Judge to rule on dismissing Yahweh Qahal case

The accused had been on trial since April 8, 2024. The charges stemmed from a police raid conducted on June 7, 2023, at the group’s premises in Norwood, St James. Following the operation, police alleged that sanitary conditions at the compound posed a risk to the health of children living there.

Investigators also claimed that a building on the property was being used as a school without authorisation from the Ministry of Education.

Additionally, authorities alleged that a young female member of the group had been forced to undergo the removal of all her body hair, including her pubic hair, as part of a ritual. Based on these findings, charges were brought against members of the organisation.

At the close of the prosecution’s case, the defence argued that the evidence presented was insufficient to establish a case against any of the accused. It was argued that the evidence had demonstrated that at one point the school had received provisional permission to operate and the evidence did not disclose whether those conditions were the same at the time the arrests were made. The defence lawyers further argued that the evidence did not identify any specific individual responsible for operating the institution.

Regarding the child cruelty charges, the defence highlighted the fact that the evidence, other than referring to unsanitary conditions, did not meet the threshold required under the Child Care and Protection Act tto show that the conditions were injurious to the children’s good health. They also noted that the identities of the children allegedly affected were never revealed in the evidence.

Concerning the indecent assault allegations, the court was reminded of the fact that when the complainant gave evidence, she indicated that while she was indecently assaulted, it was done by a relative of hers and not any of the accused before the court.

After considering the submissions, Judge Grant-Pryce ruled that all accused had no case to answer.

Following the ruling, members of Qahal Yahweh expressed gratitude to Champagnie and Campbell for their representation throughout the matter.

Commenting on the outcome, Champagnie said the authorities may have acted prematurely given the circumstances at the time and suggested that their actions could have been influenced by intolerance or prejudice toward individuals with unconventional religious beliefs.