A 60-year old minister and former Christian college instructor has been found guilty of sexually abusing a young man who came to him for guidance because he feared he was homosexual.

The victim, now 29, told court he started meeting Terrance Lewis for counselling sessions in early 2000 after his parents caught him viewing gay pornography on the family computer, the Winnipeg Sun reports.

Lewis — a family friend and minister — confided he had his own sexual identity issues and the two embarked on weekly counselling sessions designed to "assist me to be straight and to live a straight life," the man said.

The man said Lewis started a program of "touch therapy," which included the two kissing and fondling each other and engaging in sexual roleplaying.

"He said I was to tell no one about it because no one would understand," the man testified.

During "touch therapy" sessions in Lewis' car, Lewis asked him to masturbate, the man said. Lewis also admitted to fantasizing about him, the man said.

Defence lawyer Ron Simenik argued the victim knew full well the intimate sessions he shared with Lewis had nothing to do with "therapy" and that the men didn't become sexually intimate until a year after they started seeing each other.

"It started as a friendship, evolved, they became closer ... two consenting adults involved in mutual intimacy," Simenik said.

Crown attorney Dale Schille said the evidence against Lewis was "overwhelming" and he never denied the allegations in a statement to police. Lewis will be sentenced at a later date.

Last update: 02-15-2008 13:53