A former pastor who admitted having unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl 12 years ago is set to be released from prison.

Kevin Leon Goater, 66, was to be freed on Thursday after the courts sentenced him to six years for the offence in May 2024.

Goater was 53 at the time of the offence against the girl, who was under the age of 14.

In March 2024, he pleaded guilty to a single count of the offence, which took place on an unknown date between December 2013 and December 2014.

The court heard how Goater took the victim’s hand and placed it on his genital area before having sexual intercourse with her.

The Ministry of Justice released a statement after it had issued a public notice that was published in The Royal Gazette. The ministry incorrectly listed May 2026 as the time of Goater’s release.

A ministry spokesman added that “as the notice was issued publicly for the information of the wider community, a separate notification to schools was not required” and that “the victim was notified in advance”.

The court heard previously that in March 2022, the victim video-recorded the man talking about the incident and admitting he had “made a mistake”.

Once the recording was made, the victim reported it to police.

At the time of sentencing, in an impact statement read to the court on her behalf, the victim said that what Goater did to her “could never be forgotten and never be changed”.

She added: “He stole my innocence and victimised me.

“I was just a child, and he decided to molest me. He was a grown adult … He was someone who thought he knew God.

“I remember it like it was yesterday, I remember the pain I felt, the words that were said, crying my eyes out and running downstairs not knowing what to do.

“I get so emotional when I talk about it. I am stressing so much.”

The victim said she did not regret speaking up and was able to feel “grounded” that others might be protected by the man’s incarceration.

Goater had earlier denied a separate charge of intruding on the privacy of a woman — but the Crown did not pursue a prosecution in light of his guilty plea for the other offence.

Debi Ray-Rivers, the founder and executive director of Scars, said she was concerned that Goater was being released two years after he was sentenced, noting the lingering impact that sexual crimes had on children.

She said: “We must never forget that when a child is sexually violated, they carry emotional, psychological and physical effects for decades. It affects their relationships, their education, their mental health, their trust, their self-worth and even their physical wellbeing.

“It also tells us that sentencing decisions depend on the law and that our laws need to be strengthened around sentencing.

“It is completely understandable that many community members question why some offences that involve financial loss, drugs, property damage, or gang activity can result in substantial penalties, while a crime such as this involving the sexual violation of an innocent child may result in comparatively shorter periods of incarceration.”

Ms Ray-Rivers noted that Goater had said he made a “mistake”, which she said ignored the underlying issues that caused the offence and the need to address them.

She said: “Our question is what was his level of risk reduction measured by, because as we know there are no children at Westgate. Decisions based on anything less than the most effective treatment is not risk management; it’s hope.

“Skipping this step of treatment increases the chance of Goater sexually harming another child, not to mention a false sense of safety for our community.”

She called on the Government to explain what law needed to be changed to prevent those who commit sexual offences against children from being released from custody until they complete the Healthy Sex Programme, which is aimed at reducing risk of reoffending.

Ms Ray-Rivers added: “The last we checked this treatment was not being offered at Westgate. Perhaps that changed in the last few months.”

She also questioned what conditions would be put in place to prevent Goater from having access to children and what consequences are in place should be breach such a condition.

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• UPDATE: this article has been updated with comments from Scars