Mom 'Prayed for Pedophile Demon' Instead of Calling Police: 16 Years of Abuse
Woman 'prayed to God' for pedo to leave her children alone, sexual abuse spanned 2 decades
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A mother has told police that she "prayed to God" to ask for help when a "demon" pedophile was raping her children instead of reporting the crimes to the authorities.
Sarah Kester claims that she believed her 48-year-old husband, Lester Kester Jr., was "possessed by an evil spirit" that was causing him to rape her young daughters, so she prayed for help.
The 50-year-old mother left her husband to sexually abuse their daughters for 16 years instead of calling the police, believing that God would stop him, it is claimed.
Mrs. Kester, says she also tried to keep her husband "busy" in a bid to stop him assaulting their four young girls in accordance with her religious beliefs, sheriffs say.
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Metro reports: After being arrested, she told sheriff’s deputies her church insisted such matters should remain a family matter instead of calling outside agencies for help.
The Kesters, who are members of the insular Followers of Christ Church, were only exposed after one of their daughters, who is now an adult, called police in June to tell them about what she allegedly endured.
Her father was arrested on July 11, and repeated his wife’s claims that he had been consumed by a ‘bad guy’ or ‘demon,’ according to the Idaho Press.
Kester, of Caldwell, Idaho, admitted sexually abusing his four girls when they were between the ages of 10 and 12, between around 2000 and 2016, according to Canyon County Sheriff’s Office.
Sarah Kester was said to have been confronted by her offspring about the abuse three years ago but said that she had continued not to take any action or call the police.
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Ex-church member Linda Martin, who is Lester Kester’s second cousin and a vocal critic of its practices said it creates a ‘perfect storm for children to be abused.’
She explained:
"The followers kind of believe like Las Vegas.
"What happens in the families and what happens in the church stays in the church.
"You do not speak to outsiders about anything in the church or in your home as far as that goes."
Lester Kester is charged with four counts of felony lewd conduct with a child under 16, while Sarah Kester faces a felony count of child injury for not reporting abuse.
He is being held on $500,000 bond, while her bail was set at $25,000.
Both are still being held in Canyon County Jail.
