A pastor accused of sexually assaulting a parishioner, yesterday conceded that voices on a tape said to contain a sexual conversation between himself and the complainant, "could be'' his voice, and the voice of the woman he is accused of assaulting.

The pastor and the complainant cannot be identified for legal reasons.

He is charged with sexual assault following an incident said to have taken place on September 20, 1996.

The woman, who was seeing her minister for counselling as well as getting financial assistance from his church, told Acting Magistrate Michael Smith on Tuesday the defendant had exposed himself and grabbed her by the breasts during a visit to her home.

The Pastor had dropped by her house in order to deliver grocery vouchers, and according to the complainant, after the alleged assault, he gave her an envelope which had an airline ticket in it, along with vouchers.

Earlier the court heard the pastor had purchased a return airline ticket to Philadelphia in her name.

According to the churchman, who said the alleged incident never occurred, the ticket was bought so the woman could go away for a job interview with a church colleague, travelling with him, so he could introduce the complainant to her prospective employer.

Earlier the Court, which has been packed with spectators on both days of the trial, heard the complainant say she agreed to go to Philadelphia with her pastor, although she had no intention of actually going to that city.

The woman said she drove to the airport with the accused in order to tape their conversation, hoping the pastor would incriminate himself.

The tape, said by her lawyer Saul Froomkin to have been recorded during that car ride, was played in court yesterday.

Mid-way through the session, Mr. Froomkin asked the accused if he ever had told the woman he would drop her off so she could check-in for the flight while he parked the car.

The defendant agreed he said words to that effect. Mr. Froomkin played a tape in which a man's voice is heard saying in part: "I'll drop you off, you go ahead in and get in line.'' "Is that your voice?'' Mr. Froomkin asked.

"I recognise a voice that could possibly be mine.'' "Does that sound like you?'' "It could be.'' Earlier Mr. Froomkin asked the man if, during his car ride with the accused, he remembered her talking about going away to make love for three whole days, whether he remembered her mentioning his back problems, or if he remembered her mentioning his travelling with a woman who was not his wife.

"No such conversation took place,'' the defendant said.

Mr. Froomkin then played another excerpt from the tape, in which a woman's voice could be heard using the phrases Mr. Froomkin had put to the accused.

"I only clearly heard the word, `three whole days','' the man said.

Later, after being reminded he was under oath to tell the truth, the pastor said to Mr. Froomkin: "I do not know that's my voice, anything's possible.

Just because you are an officer of the Court, it does not make your mouth a prayer book either.'' In Tuesday's session defence lawyer Marc Telemaque had questioned the complainant about her prior convictions for fraud.

Yesterday Mr. Froomkin said to the defendant: "yesterday you, or your counsel on your behalf, suggested that... (the complainant) should not be believed because she had been convicted of fraud.'' Mr. Froomkin added later, "you have a number of fraud convictions,'' the defendant agreed he had six prior convictions for cheque fraud, offences which took place in 1985 and 1986, while he was attending university abroad.

The case was adjourned yesterday afternoon, to give the defence time to bring an overseas witness to the Island.