A CALIFORNIAN pastor who videotaped himself molesting a 13-year-old girl, then delivering sermon on blasphemy, has been jailed for 90 years.
Raul Hernandez
According to this report, the Anaheim pastor, Raul Rosas Hernandez, 44, of the Faith in Action Church, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Francisco Briseno to 90 years in prison after he admitted molesting four girls and one boy over a 10-year period beginning in 1996.
Hernandez wept and clutched a Bible behind his back as he was led this week from a courtroom in handcuffs after pleading guilty to 34 felony sex counts.
Briseno said the sentence was tantamount to a life term because Hernandez must serve 85 percent of the 90 years before he becomes eligible for parole.
Deputy District Attorney Heather Brown said Hernandez agreed to the 90-year sentence in part to save victims the psychological trauma of testifying at Hernandez’s trial and – in one case – watching the graphic videotape.
The tape shows a naked Hernandez engaging in various sex acts in his church’s office with the 13-year-old girl, Brown said.
At one point in the video, Hernandez answers a ringing telephone with the salutation “God bless you,” in Spanish, Brown said. The tape closes with Hernandez in the pulpit delivering a sermon on blasphemy, Brown added.
That victim was in court to watch Hernandez plead guilty, but she did not comment.
A second victim, who had been molested by Hernandez over a period of seven years, told Briseno:
I am thankful that this is over and that he didn’t get away with it.
She said she felt that he had violated his position of trust, adding, “I am not going to let him ruin my life.”
Senior Deputy Public Defender Lisa Eyanson said Hernandez decided to plead guilty because he, too, did not want to put the victims through the ordeal of a trial.
Among the charges he pleaded guilty to were 22 counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14; three counts of forcible lewd acts on a child under 14; four counts of lewd acts on a child; one count of unlawful sexual intercourse; one count of rape; two counts of distributing pornography to a minor; and one count of failure to appear in court while out on bail.
Several members of his congregation showed up in court to support him during earlier court appearances. But on this week, the only spectators were his victims and their friends.
After the sentencing, Brown said:
It was the epitome of hypocrisy for him to be crying and clutching his Bible in court today. He wasn’t crying and clutching his Bible when he was violating his position of trust as a pastor and molesting his victims.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
January 8th, 2009 at 12:05 am
90 years, it appears the courts in california know a thing or two about how to deal with peadoscum regardless of wether they’re preists or not.
Courts in this country could do no harm in following their example instead of the slap on the wrist they give to these scumbags
January 8th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Roman Catholic Priest? Not a lot new there then. What was it a judge said in another case the other day? Something like “… great big muscular, hairy men with faces that only a mother could love…” I guess he’s learning all about them as I write.
January 8th, 2009 at 11:20 am
newspaniard, I read it that this guy is a fundie Protestant. A lot of these little evangelical churches have sprung up among the US Hispanic community, I believe. But of course, like Catholicism, they attract kiddy fiddlers.
The power over young, weak and gullible people that religious leadership offers is so obviously a danger to kids and indeed many grownups. But church leaders – in the US and elswhere – tend to focus on other (supposed) threats to the young, such as the evil internet, or sweary pop music, or the mere existence of adults who happen to be gay. Odd that, isn’t it?
January 8th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Seems as though this paedophile has taken the text of his bible too literally: “Give me the child……” Hopefully he won’t survive prison.
January 8th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
“It was the epitome of hypocrisy for him to be crying and clutching his Bible in court today’
True. But it was also the epitome of hypocrisy for Oscar Wilde (another man who often sought sex with adolescents) to ask for admittance to a Catholic monastery after his release from prison. Not surprisingly, he was turned down, but long after his death he still went on to become a “gay hero”, despite his obvious preference for what are now considered to be underage boys.
September 24th, 2009 at 2:34 am
This man is stupid why the heck would he Molest Kids common child molesters in prison would get jumped in the first day in prison but the charge is bruttel he should only get 50 years 90 years common ya expect this man to come out alive thats life in prison
August 31st, 2010 at 11:26 pm
kant believe he wuld do this kinds of things wen iuse to spend da nite at his house with his daughter present