Philadelphia Pastor Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Three Minors
The jury found Mark Hatcher guilty on 10 counts related to assaulting children
A Philadelphia pastor has been been found guilty of sexually assaulting three children and raping one of them.
Mark Hatcher, the former pastor of Holy Ghost Headquarters Revival Center in North Philadelphia, was arrested in May 2022 on charges of abusing three children between 2000-2008. Of the three victims, two of them were family members of Hatcher and one attended his church.
One of the victims, now 22 years old, said Hatcher had assaulted him at least five times, starting when he was 6 years old, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. In one incident, he described how Hatcher kissed him and touched his buttocks under his clothes while the boy played with a Noah’s Ark toy.
The second victim described how, when she was 15 years old, she was staying at Hatcher’s home when he exposed himself and fondled her breasts. The third victim, a congregant whose mother was in a relationship with Hatcher, said Hatcher took her to an unoccupied home when she was 13 years old and raped her. She reported the incident to police, but prosecutors did not pursue the case.
Hatcher’s lawyer attempted to cast doubt on the characters of all three victims, saying these accusations against Hatcher were meant to distract their parents from their own indiscretions.
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Prosecutors pushed back, saying all three victims were now adults with good jobs. It’s unlikely someone would choose to relive these memories two decades later if they were not true, prosecutors claimed.
The jury came back with a decision after two and a half hours of deliberation, finding Hatcher guilty of all 10 charges, ranging from indecent assault of a child to statutory rape.
Hatcher continues to maintain his innocence. His sentencing is scheduled for May. He has been released on bail and ordered not to have contact with minors.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Why does MinistryWatch report on sex crimes? These stories are tough to read and sometimes even tougher to report, but we think they are vital to our mission to bring transparency, accountability, and credibility to the evangelical church. To read more about why and how we report these stories, read “Why MinistryWatch Reports On Sex Crimes.” You can find that story here.
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