The flamboyant and controversial senior pastor of the Prayer Palace has been charged with sexual assault involving a mother and daughter who are parishioners at the mammoth evangelical church in northwest Toronto.
Paul Melnichuk, 80, known to parishioners as “Pastor Paul,” surrendered to police Thursday morning, after being notified of a warrant for his arrest.
Police say the complainants are a woman in her 40s and a woman who is younger than 20. Both were members of the church, founded by Melnichuk and his wife more than 30 years ago.
The pastor is charged with five counts of sexual assault.
During a brief appearance at the Finch Ave. courthouse Thursday afternoon, the lightly tanned pastor — once described as a movie star and the “religious Mel Lastman or Ed Mirvish” — wore a black leather jacket and white collared shirt.
He smiled at his wife, Kathleen, 79 — who sat flanked by son Tom and a blonde woman — as court officers removed his handcuffs.
A publication ban prevents the media from reporting what was said in court and the identities of the two women.
Sitting in the prisoner’s box, Melnichuk turned his head away from his family and looked to the ground as the Crown read out allegations against him. He let out a deep breath and crossed his legs but showed no emotion.
The alleged incidents occurred between May and September 2014 on church property when he was alone with the women, police say.
Three of the five charges laid against Melnichuk relate to allegations from the daughter, the other two complaints from the mother.
Melnichuk was released on $20,000 bail posted by his wife.
“When I first found out about the assaults, it was so hard to believe,” a person close to the alleged victims told the Star. “He used his power to get the family really close to him, to trust him, and when they least expected it, he betrayed that trust, and he violated the family.”
Melnichuk and his twin sons, Tim and Tom Melnichuk, both associate pastors at the church, were the subject of a Star investigation in 2007 that focused in part on the wealth the family had garnered while heading a largely poor, mostly black, congregation.
Prayer Palace pastor Paul Melnichuk facing sex assault charges | Toronto Star
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
