A UK-based Zimbabwean pastor and gospel singer has been convicted of multiple s3xual offences against ch!ldren and young women following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Walter Chahwanda, 34, was found guilty of seventeen crimes after a jury deliberated on 3 February 2026.
Chahwanda, a former pastor with the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM), used his position of trust to target victims across the country over a four-year period. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), he met victims through church activities before connecting with them on social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, where initial conversations were quickly turned s3xual.
Court proceedings revealed that Chahwanda would comment on the girls’ appearances, send unsolicited explicit pictures and videos of himself, and, in a disturbing escalation, reportedly goad victims into exposing him, suggesting the risk of being caught was part of his fantasy.
Aaron Smith, a lawyer with the CPS Mersey Cheshire RASSO unit, said: “Walter Chahwanda used his position as a respected Pastor to abuse a 14-year-old ch!ld and cause distress to multiple young women and ch!ldren. He had no regard for their wellbeing or vulnerability and was solely focused on his own s3xual gratification.”
