In a landmark ruling delivered on Monday, August 18, 2026, Belize’s High Court Justice Antoinette Moore sentenced former National Evangelical Association of Belize (NEAB) president Pastor Victor Hernandez to 10 years in federal prison for repeated sexual violence against a female congregant — a sentence that falls 12 years short of the combined 22-year prison term recommended by official sentencing guidelines.
Court documents detail the grave nature of Hernandez’s offenses: two separate acts of rape committed at his personal business and private residence, and a subsequent sexual assault that occurred on the premises of his own church, with the victim’s teenage daughter in attendance. The conviction follows Hernandez’s 2024 arraignment on the charges, which prompted the NEAB to immediately remove him from his leadership role within the organization.
In an official public statement released Friday by the NEAB, the national evangelical body issued a sharp rebuke of its disgraced former leader, labeling the violent offenses “unacceptable, as well as criminal.” The association acknowledged that the conviction has sent shockwaves through Belize’s faith community, noting that the outcome is “disturbing and saddening to the Church as a whole,” while reaffirming that the survivor’s well-being must remain the central priority moving forward.
“The offense was unacceptable, as well as criminal,” the NEAB statement read. “We fully accept the Court’s judgment and ruling and encourage the body of Christ to pray for the victim who bravely told her story.”
Beyond condemning Hernandez’s actions, the NEAB used the moment to call for sweeping systemic changes within Belize’s evangelical churches. The organization acknowledged that the case exposed a critical “failure of that sacred principle of leadership in the Kingdom of God,” and urged all member congregations to implement stronger interpersonal boundaries for clergy, formal accountability structures, and dedicated safe spaces to protect congregants from potential abuse by religious leaders.