A former Chester pastor was sentenced to probation for a sexual relationship with an underage girl

The former pastor of a church in Chester issued a tearful apology to his wife, his family, and his former congregants Tuesday as he was sentenced to six years’ probation for having a sexual relationship with an underage girl.

Edward Lilly, 72, said he was “deeply, profoundly sorry” during the brief hearing before Delaware County Judge Richard Cappelli. He said he never intended to harm the victim, and deeply regretted the embarrassment and strife he brought to those closest to him.

“I am fully committed to spending the rest of my life trying to rebuild their trust and faith in me,” he said.

Lilly pleaded guilty in August to one count of knowingly photographing or videotaping a person under the age of 18 engaging in sexual acts. He faced more than 20 additional related charges, including possession of child pornography for videos and pictures of the victim, but they were dropped by prosecutors as part of the negotiated plea.

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As a condition of his sentence, Lilly must register as a sex offender for 25 years. Prosecutors, led by Assistant District Attorney Bryan Barth, had lobbied for Lilly to also serve a period of house arrest, but Cappelli did not require that, crediting Lilly for his cooperation with investigators.

“He pretty much brought the case to the police, and made it as smooth as possible for them,” Cappelli said. “And by doing that, he hopefully made it as smooth as possible for the victim.”

Lilly was charged in October 2020 after the victim came forward to report their relationship, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest. The girl said that she first met Lilly when she was 16, working as a clerk in a grocery store.

Lilly would often flirt with her, asking her if she had ever had sex, and giving her gifts, the affidavit said. Their conversations continued over text, with Lilly telling the girl he wanted to “kiss her so bad,” according to investigators.

A year later, after the girl turned 17, Lilly made a plan to meet her in a nearby park and run with her as she trained for her school’s track team. During their run together, Lilly took the teen into a secluded area, had sex with her, and filmed the act using his cell phone, the affidavit said. For the next several months, the two continued to have sexual encounters at the park, as well as in hotel rooms and a recreational vehicle Lilly owned, the victim told investigators.

During their relationship, Lilly paid the teen $2,000 and bought her a cell phone, the affidavit said. She told police she interpreted these gifts as an attempt by Lilly to “keep her from telling anyone about the sexual relationship.”

Police later found explicit photos of the victim, as well as videos on Lilly’s computer of her and Lilly having sex, according to the affidavit.

After Lilly’s arrest, he resigned from the Christian Church of Chester, where he had served as a pastor for 27 years.

“Part of accepting what I’ve done is accepting that people will never see me as a leader again,” he said. “I will spend the rest of my life making up for my mistakes.”