This Week in Court: Author, singer and entrepreneur Walter Chahwanda’s charisma allowed him to build a devoted following in a converted former printing shop
00:01, 07 Feb 2026Updated 07:19, 07 Feb 2026
Walter Chahwanda was the founder and pastor of Sound of Dominion Church in Speke(Image: Liverpool ECHO/CPS)
Tucked away on a drab, grey industrial estate bordering a railway line, something out of the ordinary was brewing amongst the self storage units, spit and sawdust gyms and mid-sized builder’s workshops. For those bold enough to follow Edwards Lane in Speke to its bitter end, past the raw dog food shop and carpet showroom, salvation awaited at the Sound of Dominion Church.
But this was far from your run-of-the-mill wooden pews and pulpit affair. Step inside the converted former commercial printing shop and you might see worshippers collapsing to the ground after being overcome by the holy spirit or having their ills cured through the power of prayer.
Sunday services were not a cold lecture to an ageing by the minute congregation, but instead a vibrant pulse of live music, flashing lights, dancing and raw, unfiltered spiritualism. At the very heartbeat of this sensory overload was Walter Chahwanda, the fresh faced, Tesla-driving pastor, founder and leader, the stylish glasses with transparent frame perched atop his nose, complimented by an equally fresh trim, often complete with a shock of orange streaking from front to back through the right hand side of his temple.
Charismatic to his core, he boasted clothing brands and a line of watches, as well as apparently being a male beauty pageant winning model. He was a published author, with his book, “Not My Armour”, inspired by the tale of David and Goliath, receiving a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Amazon from two customer reviews.
Well known among religious circles, Walter was also a musician, with his 2021 single, “It Shall Be Well”, having garnered 1,336 listens on Spotify at the time of writing. But beneath this clean image and wholesome message lay something far more sinister, with Chahwanda having a hidden predilection for the depraved which eventually brought this façade crashing down and left the man at the centre of it all in a prison cell.
‘I am healed in the name of Jesus’
A brief flick through the evangelical church’s social media feeds lends a valuable insight into your average Sound of Dominion experience. Posts on its Instagram page date back to October 2018, initially showing a fairly humble setting but staking claims every bit as grand as what was to follow.
Lo-fi videos from these early days show worshippers having their aches and ailments “instantly healed” by prayer, with one such clip showing Chahwanda with his hand on the shoulder of a woman who had supposedly experienced years of severe abdominal pains, inviting his flock to pray with him before she suddenly proclaims: “I am healed. I am healed in the name of Jesus.”
Scroll upwards, however, and you will find an increasingly slicker, sleeker product, with services promoted via posts appearing more akin to those of a club night. Impressively professional headshots of Chahwanda and his “apostles” loom large alongside bold colours and fonts, positing them almost as headline DJs. These adverts are occasionally punctuated by impassioned mini sermons from the pastor himself, as well as footage of churchgoers swaying and collectively singing in prayer, falling to their knees in order to receive blessings or even finding themselves overcome by the message and uncontrollably tumbling to the floor.
It was seemingly around 2023 that Sound of Dominion moved into its home off Speke Hall Lane, the outer brickwork of a tiring 1940s light industrial building given a splash of paint, its new occupant’s name proudly beaming above the door alongside the mission statement: “Instruct. Demonstrate. Impart.”
Sound of Dominion Church on Edwards Lane in Speke(Image: Liverpool Echo)
By late 2024, Chahwanda was even featuring as a guest during a “Millionaire Academy” seminar over in Rotterdam, promising to impart upon attendees “How to Make 6 Figures”. This, then, was a heady and intoxicating mix of promised fortune, faith, razzmatazz and emotion which could be all too easy to become enraptured with.
‘Papa’ held unusual fantasies and ‘goaded’ his victims
On January 1 2025, an Instagram post entitled “2025, the Year of Gr8t Influence” showed a smiling Chahwanda with his right fist clenched in celebration beside the caption “welcome to the best year of your life”. But, within a matter of weeks, his world had unravelled and his reputation was irreparably damaged.
A final promo on March 12 pointed followers towards a games night with movies, dancing and food. Then, suddenly, Sound of Dominion’s feeds fell silent. Five days later, news broke that Chahwanda had been charged with a string of sexual offences.
Walter Chahwanda
This void was only briefly filled when, in August, the church told followers in a statement: “Dear family. We understand that many of you are feeling hurt, confused and concerned due to the recent reports circulating on various media platforms. These events have stirred a range of emotions, and we want to begin by acknowledging how difficult this time may be for you.
“We also want to sincerely apologise for the delay in addressing this matter publicly. Please know that it was never our intention to ignore or dismiss your concerns. Your voice, your feelings and your wellbeing matter deeply to us.
“At present, the situation is being handled by the appropriate authorities, including the legal team and the police. As this is an ongoing investigation, we are limited in what we can share at this time. We ask for your patience and understanding as we allow the proper processes to take place.
“As soon as we are able, we will provide further clarity and communication. In the meantime, we remain committed to transparency, to healing and walking together in faith.
“Our church will continue to gather as usual for fellowship and worship. We are steadfast in our commitment to the work of God, and we believe he will guide us through this season with grace, wisdom and unity. With love and care, your church leadership.”
Sound of Dominion has not posted on social media since. Chahwanda’s trial would begin in earnest at Liverpool Crown Court at the very beginning of January 2026, with prosecution team David Watson and Philip Astbury setting out over the course of the following five-week case how the so-called man of God in the dock had abused his high standing in order to commit a whole host string of sexual crimes against young women and girls.
His abuse had persisted over the course of around four years, targeting victims as far afield as Manchester, South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and Kent after meeting them via the Apostolic Faith Mission Church, typically by sending unwanted intimate sexual images of himself. Most disturbingly, he was even said to have physically abused one 14-year-old child during a musical rehearsal and “refused to stop, despite warnings from those within the church community”, although his position of power in the organisation “effectively allowed him to do as he pleased”.
Walter Chahwanda(Image: CPS)
Chahwanda, who it is understood would be called “Papa” by his followers, would follow a well trodden path in committing his crimes, contacting many of the girls and women via Snapchat and Instagram before engaging them in sexualised conversations. These chats would then suddenly be peppered with the intimate pictures and videos, often showing himself performing sexual acts upon himself, accompanying one such clip sent to another teenage girl, also aged 14, with the message: “Did you like that?”
This would bizarrely also see him “goad” his victims into revealing his behaviour and imploring them to “expose him”, with the “thought of being caught appearing to be part of his sexual fantasies”. He was even alleged to have offered a 16-year-old victim cash in order to do so via a later deleted Snapchat account which he had set up under the guise of a fictitious woman.
Chahwanda also seemingly set up a Twitter account entitled “Naughty Pastor” and an Instagram page named “All Coming Out Now” for these same purposes and, alarmingly, ordered the girl who he sexually assaulted to write “I’m a little slut” in her diary, leaving her feeling suicidal. However, he would ultimately be arrested in February 2024 when the father of one of the complainants reported him to the NSPCC and several others came forward to police.
While the now 34-year-old denied the allegations under interview and dismissed his online activities as being “naughty role play”, he was charged with 22 offences in relation to nine victims. He was ultimately found guilty of 17 of these counts on Tuesday, although cleared of raping an 18-year-old in her student accommodation and assault by penetration. Judge David Swinnerton remanded Chahwanda, of Plemonstall Court in Chester, into custody ahead of his sentencing next month.
Sound of Dominion was approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication. Its status and future at present are unclear, but, while the church was shuttered when the ECHO visited the site this week, the building appeared to remain well maintained, with its minibus and other vehicles parked outside.
Sound of Dominion Church on Edwards Lane in Speke(Image: Liverpool Echo)
‘He told them he was risking everything’
Aaron Smith, from the Crown Prosecution Service Mersey Cheshire’s rape and serious sexual offences unit said following this week’s verdict: “Walter Chahwanda used his position as a respected pastor to abuse a 14-year-old child and cause distress to multiple young women and children. He had no regard for their wellbeing or vulnerability and was solely focused on his own sexual gratification.
“He told them he was risking everything by his actions, but it was the women and girls who were the ones who felt trapped and disgusted by what he was doing. They found it difficult to comprehend that a man in Chahwanda’s position would act in such a manner and, in some instances, felt unable to talk about sex openly with others.
“Thankfully, eventually, the victims were listened to, and Chahwanda was arrested. He continued to deny that what he had been doing was criminal and said the victims had consented. He passed off his offences as harmless. His victims explained in statements and evidence the true impact of what he had done and the jury found him guilty.
“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank the victims and witnesses in this case for their courage and support in this prosecution. Without their testimony, Walter Chahwanda would not have been brought to justice.”