The jury in the case against Rev. Philip Joubert of Community Baptist Church in Bayside was still deliberating his verict as of late Tuesday morning, according to a spokesman for the Queens DA.
Joubert's young daughter testified in Queens Supreme Court that he raped her when she was 13, and closing arguements in the case were made on Monday, according to a report by the Bayside Times.
In a written statement given in 2009 to Detective Shari McAuliffe of the Queens Special Victims Squad, Joubert said his daughter entered his bedroom, and touched Joubert’s penis. He said he touched her genitals only after she touched his. He reportedly denied having intercourse with her.
His defense says the statement was made while Joubert was in a weakened condition because of Type-2 diabetes.
Joubert’s daughter initially told authorities that he only touched her inappropriately, later saying that he raped her.
The teenage girl reportedly testified that some time between July 25 and Aug. 2 of 2009, Joubert came into her bedroom, climbed on top of her in bed, held her wrists, and hit her several times before pulling down her clothes to rape her.
She also said that while she and her twin brother, who usually live in Norwalk, Connecticut, were staying with their father, that he would enter the bathroom as she showered, and touch her.
A doctor who examined the girl has testified that she suffered a “completely healed hymenal transection consistent with penile penetration,” reports the Bayside Times.
The paper also reported that Assistant District Attorney Lauren Parson believes the young woman’s testimony proves beyond reasonable doubt that she was raped.
Joubert faces charges of incest, endangering the welfare of a child, sexual abuse and rape, and reportedly faces up to a 25-year sentence.
Rev. Mark Pullen currently serves the church as Interim Pastor.
