Gloriavale teen faces sex abuse allegations

Police have launched an inquiry into new allegations of child sexual abuse at the isolated Gloriavale Christian Community.

A former member, who spoke on condition of anonymity but who is familiar with the allegations, said a complaint was laid with police on Monday by a family member of a young boy.

The allegations were of sexual offending by a teenage male inside the community, involving multiple boys.

Police, supported by Oranga Tamariki staff, have been at Gloriavale this week. The former member understood up to six boys had been interviewed so far.

The religious community near Greymouth on the West Coast has been the subject of investigations in recent years by police, Oranga Tamariki and the Charities Commission. A former senior member, a community teacher and Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian have all been convicted of sexual offending.

Gloriavale Leavers’ Trust spokeswoman Liz Gregory said she understood police and Oranga Tamariki were investigating serious allegations involving multiple complainants.

The former member said people in the community had been talking about the allegations for at least eight months.

‘‘The leaders knew about it and had not gone to police,’’ he said. ‘‘As soon as [leader] Howard [Temple] found out a complaint was made to police he got in his car and drove to Greymouth to tell the police about it. At the same time as he was driving there, police were driving to Gloriavale,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s part of the Gloriavale belief system that everything is dealt with inside and the police are not involved. There has been a lot of pressure in recent years to change that and the leaders have made some token gestures, but I know from living there that they don’t really understand what a crime is.

‘‘I had heard about things like this happening when I was growing up and would never have considered going to the police.’’

A woman who answered the phone at Gloriavale yesterday said Temple had told her to inform media he was unavailable.

Alison McDonald, Oranga Tamariki deputy chief executive for south children and families services, said staff had been on site at Gloriavale ‘‘over recent days’’. ‘‘We are not able to comment further at this stage.’’

Police first refused to confirm the inquiry existed but, when emailed specific questions about the complaint, confirmed one had been received and police were investigating.

‘‘Police have visited the property in recent days to make initial inquiries into a report received,’’ a spokeswoman said.

Gloriavale has a chequered past involving sexual and physical abuse against children.

Former members have broken ranks to tell stories of forced marriages, sexual and physical abuse, shunning anyone who leaves, and the complete financial domination of all members.

Gloriavale’s founder, Hopeful Christian, spent time in prison in the mid-1990s. He was found guilty of three charges of indecently assaulting a woman at the Springbank Christian Community in Cust, North Canterbury, where the community was based at the time.

Just Standfast, who is 68 years old and was a teacher for many years at Gloriavale, indecently assaulted a 9-year-old girl, repeatedly kissed her and exposed himself on a bed during a playtime break. He admitted a charge of sexual conduct with a child and was sentenced last year to six months’ community detention and two years of intensive supervision.

‘‘The leaders knew about it and had not gone to police . . . It’s part of the Gloriavale belief system that everything is dealt with inside . . . ’’

Former Gloriavale member