Saturday, January 29 2005 21:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: An Indian priest settled in Britain has been convicted of raping a devotee of Tamil origin at a temple in south London.

Ramanathan Somanathan, 41, a priest at a temple in Thornton Heath near Croydon on the southern outskirt of London, enticed his victim, a divorcee, by telling her that she had been his wife in their previous life and the God had reunited them.

He raped the 29-year-old Tamil woman on two separate occasions, once in 2002 and again in 2003, after which she became pregnant and had an abortion, the Croydon Crown Court was told. The unnamed victim first went to the married Somanathan to have her horoscope read after she decided to buy a new flat.

Gillian Etherton, the prosecuting barrister, said, "Somanathan told the victim she had beautiful eyes and it was good that she had left her husband. He said they had had a past life together. She had married him and that they had loved each other. She had committed suicide in the past life but God had sent her to him."

The Metropolitan Police have praised the victim for her "tremendous courage" to come forward and seek justice.

"This case has been particularly distressing for both the victim and witnesses involved. They ran the risk of being isolated by their own community," said detective Rob Buckell of the Croydon police.

While emphasizing how rare such abuses of religious authority are, Buckell condemned the priest for betraying his position of trust. "He hid behind his religion and preyed upon the vulnerability of his victims," he said.