Church Minister guilty of 5 counts of sexual offences

By Lagi Keresoma/

Apia, SAMOA – 17 April 2026: A panel of 4 Assessors has found Reverend Petaia Setu guilty of 5 sex related offences and he will be sentenced next month.

The Assessor trial took 4 days, and the Assessors returned with a guilty verdict after 5.30pm yesterday.

The defendant was originally charged with 9 charges including rape, sexual violation by rape and indecent assault, however, four charges were later withdrawn as the trial progressed.

The offence happened at the church minister’s house at Vaitele in 2023.

According to the police summary of facts, the victim was staying at the defendants’ house and around early morning she went to the restroom and found the defendant blocking her way, grabbed her then started committing the offence.

The summary of facts stated that the offence happened several times.

Several witnesses testified and the last witness yesterday was the defendant’s wife who told the court that she only knew about the offence during her conversation with the victims’ grandmother at the Mafutaga a Tina meeting.

She also referred to a letter written by the victim’s grandfather to the defendant in 2021 accusing him of an affair with the victim’s grandmother.

Representing the prosecution, Counsel Muliagatele Tauanu’u Raewyn Fong outlined the key elements required to prove the charges. She emphasised that the central issue was whether the acts occurred and whether they were carried out without the consent of the complainant. She also addressed concerns raised by the defence regarding inconsistencies in dates, arguing that such discrepancies did not undermine the overall consistency and credibility of the complainant’s account.

For the defence, Counsel Lucy Sio Ofoia argued that there were significant inconsistencies in the timeline of events presented by the prosecution’s witnesses. She also questioned the likelihood of the alleged offences occurring in a setting where homes were in close proximity within a church compound, suggesting it would have been difficult for such incidents to go unnoticed.

Reverend Setu will remain on his current bail conditions until sentencing, with the Court reminding counsel to ensure full compliance.

The defendant has served the Methodist Church for many years before he left and set up the New Methodist Church at Vaitele where the offence occurred.

He will be sentenced on 13 May 2026.