Pastor Under Fire For Claiming Women In Shorts Deserve To Be Assaulted

A pastor in North Carolina has apologized for remarks he made during a sermon where he said womens clothing choices are responsible for sexual assault.

During a sermon recorded last August that recently went viral, the Rev. Bobby Leonard of Bible Baptist Tabernacle in Monroe, N.C., said that if he were serving on the jury for a rape trial, he would acquit a male rapist if his female victim  were wearing shorts during the assault.

If you dress like that and you get raped, and Im on the jury, hes going to go free, Leonard said, adding later, Im right, you know, because a mans a man.

On Wednesday, former church member Ben Rudy protested Leonards comments in front of the church.

It broke my heart that he would say something like that, Rudy told WSOC TV.

Jason King, a Sunday school teacher in the area, also spoke out against Leonard, saying that even if a woman were walking around nude, its still not right [to attack her], and its still a mans choice whether he does wrong or right.

Additional protests are scheduled for Sunday, according to a post on the blog The Roys Report, whose founder Julie Roys initially posted the clip of Leonard.

On Thursday, Leonards church acknowledged the pain his comments might have caused.

A sign in front of the church now reads, I am sorry for any hurt. I was wrong Pastor Leonard. 

Need help? Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline  or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website .