The case against a pastor accused of raping a Canberra woman during a "prayer of deliverance" hinges on inconsistent evidence that does not stack up, the pastor's barrister says.
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But prosecutors insist it doesn't matter if the woman is mistaken about some details, like the exact date of the alleged incident in early 2018, so long as it happened around the time in question.
Sydney pastor Alofa Talouli Masina, 54, has been on trial in the ACT Supreme Court for more than a week.
The woman alleges that Mr Masina travelled to her Canberra home and performed a so-called prayer of deliverance with another pastor, then returned alone the following week after saying he had to come back and perform the prayer again.
During the second prayer, Mr Masina allegedly coerced the woman into sexual acts with false references to the Bible and a warning that she would be cursed if she did not go to bed with him.
But Mr Masina denies any sexual contact with the woman, or three others who were called as prosecution witnesses to give details of their own alleged sexual encounters with the pastor.
In his closing address on Wednesday, defence barrister Gregor Urbas said the prosecution relied heavily on the word of the Canberra woman, who was "not consistent on the dates and details".
Dr Urbas said the woman had admitted under cross-examination to being in Sydney on Australia Day 2018, meaning the first prayer could not have been performed in the ACT on that day as she initially claimed.
He said the woman went on to concede the second prayer, which is alleged to have included the sexual encounter, had also probably not taken place the following Friday as originally suggested.
"No alternative date for the offences to have occurred has been proffered by the Crown at the close of this case," Dr Urbas said.
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Dr Urbas said the woman had also given conflicting evidence about a number of matters, including whether she had seen a prayer of deliverance before the time in question and how soon she had phoned Mr Masina to confront him with allegations of rape.
"Your Honour cannot be satisfied that the events occurred as stated in the indictment," Dr Urbas told Justice David Mossop.
But Crown prosecutor Skye Jerome said the judge need only be satisfied that the alleged offences were committed around the time in question, not necessarily on a specific date.
Ms Jerome said Mr Masina kissed the woman and had sex with her on the false pretence that it was part of the prayer of deliverance. She said the woman "genuinely believed the defendant in his explanation of the Bible" at the time, which negated any consent.
The prosecutor said Mr Masina had also performed indecent acts that the woman clearly did not consent to.
Ms Jerome highlighted a conversation between Mr Masina and a churchgoer, who claims the pastor refused to discuss the matter when confronted other than to say it was "between me and the Holy Spirit".
"You would expect an innocent person to deny the allegations," Ms Jerome said.
There were also numerous phone calls between the woman and Mr Masina, which Ms Jerome said Mr Masina had used to try and cover his tracks.
"Even post-offence, the defendant was trying to keep up the guise of the prayer of deliverance and the reason for [sex]," she said.
Ms Jerome told Justice Mossop the alleged victim was a credible witness, whose claims were supported by the three other women who had told the court of their own alleged sexual experiences with Mr Masina.
The Crown's case relies on the other women to establish what it says is Mr Masina's tendency to abuse his position as a religious leader for sexual gratification.
Justice Mossop said he would consider the evidence and aim to deliver verdicts in the judge-alone trial on Friday afternoon.
