‘He left a trail of pain and debt’

Convicted sex offender and former religious leader, Kevin O. Smith, who is now deceased, had some of his first footprints in Jamaica at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, where he operated a mentorship programme involving over three dozen students, an investigation has revealed.

And respected social activist Dr Henley Morgan has also disclosed that he opened doors for Smith to meet some of Jamaica’s elites in business, politics and religion, who in turn funded the pastor’s mission to “restore” Jamaica.

“He left a trail of pain and debt among those who came together to assist him and to whom he made a financial commitment,” Morgan said of ventures involving Smith and some of his unnamed benefactors over a decade ago.

However, Valerie Neita-Robertson, Smith’s former attorney who now represents his family, said she was not aware of any personal debts held by Smith.

“Smith has been in Jamaica over 10 years. If he owed anybody, they would have sued him,” she said.

The Pathways International Foundation mentorship programme did not appear to have had the blessing of UWI’s administration, but that did not stop Smith from using university facilities for regular meetings and even hosting a conference with international speakers.

The foundation was incorporated with the Companies Office of Jamaica in February 2011, the same year Smith returned permanently to Jamaica from Canada, where he was convicted in 2007 for sexual assault involving a 21-year-old male.

The mentorship programme started around March 2011 and was active for more than a year until Smith spread his wings to Montego Bay, St James, where he established, in 2012, the Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries.

The MoBay church has held national attention after police stormed the building on October 17 following reports that white-clad congregants were participating in a ritual sacrifice in which two members were killed and others stabbed or shot.

Thirty-nine-year-old Taneka Gardner and 38-year-old Michael Scott Brown were killed in the alleged human sacrifice. And 18-year-old Kevon Plummer was shot dead after he reportedly attacked members of the security forces who interrupted the ritual.

In a dramatic turn of events, Smith died last Monday in a car crash in St Catherine that also claimed the life of Constable Orlando Irons, 26 – one of the officers among the police team escorting the 39-year-old religious leader to Kingston where he was to be charged for murder. Two other police officers were also seriously injured.

“There was nothing really unusual about the meetings. There were presentations. People gave their inputs. We would collect dues. It was normal club activities,” said a then senior member of the UWI cohort of the Pathways mentorship programme, who produced pictures of some of the meetings showing members wearing branded shirts.

That was quite unlike the shocking accounts from church members who have alleged that Smith even referred to himself as ‘god’; demanded payments for attending services late; mandated payment of salaries into church coffers, among other unusual things.

TEAM-BUILDING EVENT

According to the then final-year student, who did not want to be named for fear of being ridiculed, only two things sparked curiosity – Smith’s preference for male members in senior positions, and his insistence to be addressed as “His Excellency” or “Your Grace”.

They never met any other officials of Pathways International, the former member explained, adding that there was even a retreat held at Hope Gardens, a public green space near the university.

“We had our blankets and everything. We played games. He would give speeches. It was like a team-building event,” said the UWI graduate, who believes the university was aware of the programme because “he had access to the facilities and we would have regular meetings”.

But it appeared the Mona administration did not know what was happening on its campus.

“Kevin O. Smith did not operate a mentorship programme on the Mona Campus of The University of the West Indies. Additionally, his name does not appear on our list of mentors here at the Mona Campus or the Mona-Western Jamaica Campus (WJC),” the university said in a statement last Thursday.

Records, former UWI students and Pathways’ social media posts revealed that meetings were regularly held at the Faculty of Law building, mostly on Fridays.

Recruitment was mainly through applications and other students encouraging their colleagues to join. At least two former members said they met with Smith, who invited them to participate. They did not want to say how they first met the deceased pastor.

The membership included male and female students.

In July 2011, Smith hosted a youth empowerment conference on the UWI campus, and a month later, an orientation session was held for new members.

Scholarships valued at between $100,000 and $250,000, as well and phone credit, were among the offerings.

That same summer, the programme hosted an entrepreneurial seminar that included speakers such as Morgan, founder of the Agency for Inner City Renewal, who is known especially for his work to make Trench Town a cultural hub.

BRINGING HOPE TO THE LOST

The leadership structure of the mentorship programme at UWI, starting from the lowest level, included protégés, prefects and ambassadors – all reporting to Smith as the head.

The programme’s vision was to “bring hope to those who lost hope … [and] meaningful change in personal, business and national affairs”.

The university students, who were drawn from all faculties, testified at the time to the benefits they said Smith’s programme brought them.

“It has been a life-changing experience for me, where I’ve gotten a different outlook on life. I’m more organised, more intelligent,” said one former leader in the group.

Another explained that an introductory phone call he received from Your Grace was also “life-changing”.

A third ex-participant said that Pathways transformed his minimal levels of leadership into something greater.

“He told me that being poor is not due to our social standing, but is due to the world itself – passing over opportunities repeatedly which is why I’m here today to tell you that Pathways International Foundation is an opportunity for your success,” said a fourth ex-member.

But it was not always smooth for the group, as Smith, in October 2011, lashed out at critics of the university students who were participating in the programme.

“As a shepherd and bishop of the Lord’s church, I publicly rebuke the miscreants involved in the defamation of the youths. I send a stern prophetic warning to the evil inventors at UWI, Mona. The pit you have dug for these youths, you, yourself, shall fall into it,” he warned.

REACH FAR AND WIDE

Smith’s reach was far and wide and covered more of Kingston and St Andrew as Jamaicans fast gobbled up the messages of financial prosperity and godliness he preached.

The wider membership of the Pathways International programmes held its general meetings at the Liguanea Club of New Kingston, a private membership club where many of Jamaica’s economic and political elites withdraw for sports and other recreational activities.

A spokesperson for the club declined to confirm whether Pathways International held meetings at the facility, noting that it was against policy to reveal such details.

Several church groups, including the Independent Churches of Jamaica, Jamaica Council of Churches and the Jamaica Pentecostal Union (Apostolic), have distanced themselves from Smith, but according to Morgan, many in the local church ranks met and received the late pastor with open arms.

About June 2012, Smith’s work in Montego Bay intensified, leading to the establishment of the church and a push for the creation of a western chapter of the mentorship programme targeting young people.

The focus in the west and the simultaneous graduation of some senior members affected the continuity of the programme at UWI, Mona, ultimately resulting in its collapse.

Smith had pitched himself as an anointed clergyman, who had travelled dozens of countries and with at least two doctorate degrees.

Vision International University in the USA, from where Smith said he received a doctorate in divinity, declined to confirm that information, saying it needed permission from Smith.

Mount Olivet Bible Institute and Seminary in Canada, where Smith said he received his Doctor of Ministry degree, did not respond to Sunday Gleaner questions seeking confirmation last week.

jovan.johnson@gleanerjm.com