BARRIE (CANADA)
Orillia Matters [Orillia, ON, Canada]
May 2, 2026
By Peter Robinson
Court heard Emmanuel Yeboah, 38, was a family friend and had offered to take girl to piano lesson one evening three years ago; attack happened in the vehicle
Editor’s note: The following story contains graphic details heard in court that might not be suitable for some readers.
A man of God and self-styled pastor, Emmanuel Yeboah, has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for a sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl who was a member of his Barrie congregation.
Yeboah, 38, who has maintained his innocence and continues to have the support of other members of his congregation, had been found guilty by Justice Robert Gattrell of a single count of sexual assault, assault and sexual interference.
The Crown had asked for a sentence of four years, while Yeboah’s counsel had suggested one year.
Court heard that Yeboah was also a family friend and had offered to take her to a piano lesson one evening three years ago. Once there, he took advantage of being alone while waiting to fondle the young girl.
Most, if not all, of the attack happened in a vehicle, court heard
More fondling took place on the drive home, where the girl was alert enough to divert his advances by telling him she had to get home immediately because it was a school night, court heard.
Included in Yeboah’s criminal conduct were classic signs of grooming, which Gattrell pointed out in imposing sentence, including taking her to buy ice cream and offering to buy her a cellphone.
To the girl’s horror, she returned home a few days after the sexual assault to find Yeboah sitting at the kitchen table with her family. She panicked and fled the residence to the safety of a neighbour, who let her take refuge in the house.
A clumsy attempt to force her back to her family home, where Yeboah grabbed the girl by the arm, constituted the assault charge.
Gattrell may have found Yeboah guilty and accepted the defence of the Crown, but he sided almost completely with the defence regarding sentence, sparing the Ghanian immigrant time in a federal penitentiary.
Gattrell cited his lack of previous criminal record, the impact on Yeboah’s young family and the support he continues to enjoy among his community for coming in on the lower end of the sentencing range.
At one point, the judge said he did not view Yeboah’s failure to take responsibility for his actions as aggravating, but rather they effectively offset some of the mitigating ones in his favour.
A permanent resident, Yeboah will face immigration consequences. The jail sentence is well above the six-month threshold for removal from Canada, and though the criminal courts lack authority over those matters, Gattrell cited Yeboah’s looming deportation in his remarks.
Upon his release, Yeboah will be subject to an order that he not be in the presence of anyone under the age of 18 “unless in the presence of a suitable adult.”
Yeboah’s own children are exempt from the under-18 order.
Yeboah was taken into custody and his wife, who had accompanied him to court before the hearing, left alone after its completion.
Though Yeboah was called a pastor, there was no information provided during the sentencing hearing if he was formally qualified as such, or where the church, if one existed, where he preached was located.
A LinkedIn profile for a Barrie man of the same name listed his only work as a courier driver and made no mention of pastoral work.
Court had heard details that Yeboah had also supported his family as the sole breadwinner by working as an Uber driver, as well as other similar jobs in the gig economy.