Leader of secretive New Zealand commune admits abusing young female church members
The admission of guilt from Howard Temple came three days into a trial at which he was accused of abusing members of the Gloriavale commune, aged between 9 and 20 over a period of two decades.
Complainants who appeared in the opening days of Temple's trial at the Greymouth District Court said he had touched or groped them while they were performing domestic duties, including in front of other Gloriavale members during mealtimes, Radio New Zealand reported.
They told the court they were too scared to challenge the leader and feared being told the abuse was their fault.
Temple, who is 85 and known as the Overseeing Shepherd of Gloriavale, earlier denied the two dozen charges, and was scheduled to face a three-week trial. But on Wednesday, his lawyer said the leader would admit to an amended list of 12 crimes.
They included five counts of indecent assault, five of committing an indecent act and two of common assault, Radio New Zealand reported. Some were representative, which means the charges reflect multiple similar acts.
Temple's lawyer didn't respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
3 hours ago
- India Today
Rise in attacks on minorities, forced conversions of Hindus: Pak human rights body
There has been an alarming rise in violence against religious minorities during the last year apart from forced conversions and underage marriages of Hindu and Christian girls, Pakistan's top human rights body has said.'Streets of Fear: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2024/25,' a report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) released here on Tuesday documents a 'deeply troubling year' for religious freedom and minority rights' referring to the Ahmadis, Hindus and Christians in the has been an alarming rise in violence against religious minorities, including targeted killings of the Ahmadis and the demolition of their protected places of worship,' the report said. There has been persistent forced conversions and underage marriages of Hindu and Christian girls in Punjab and Sindh province exposing the systematic failure to enforce child marriage restraint laws, the HRCP HRCP said that there has been a trend of mob lynching of those especially minority members accused of blasphemy. 'Now the most chilling account is that of extra-judicial killing of minority members accused of blasphemy,' it individuals accused of blasphemy were extra-judicially killed by police while seeking protection from hostile mobs, it said and added that such incidents underscore the urgent need for reform within law enforcement and accountability report also pointed out the rise in hate speech ranging from threats against the chief justice of the Supreme Court to public vilification of elected representatives. This is because of shrinking civic space and emboldened extremist elements, the report said it is shocking to see the increasing tilt of the bar associations towards positions aligned with extremist religious extremist groups. 'This trend undermines the independence of the legal profession,' the report said even as it documented allegations of collusion by the state institutions in cases where several hundred young men and women were entrapped in accusations of blasphemy and extorted. 'This is one of the most alarming trends.'The report asked the Pakistan government to establish an inquiry commission based on the findings of the National Commission for Human Rights with respect to entrapment in allegations of blasphemy.'The authorities should also monitor those seminaries that are frequently involved in the conversion of underage girls,' it report further said that law enforcement forces also need to be better equipped to protect individuals from mob violence, with vital police training in intelligence gathering, crowd management, reading early signals of riots, and community policing.'Swift action should be taken against those who instigate such mobs. The government must urgently establish an independent statutory national commission dedicated to the rights of minorities, ensuring equal representation for all religious communities,' the HRCP report demanded.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
New Zealand's first military espionage conviction in country's history linked to deadly terrorist attack on Christchurch mosques: How big was the conspiracy? Details here
A New Zealand soldier who tried to spy for a foreign power has admitted to attempted espionage in a military court. Monday's conviction was the first for spying in New Zealand's history. The soldier's name was suppressed, as was what country he sought to pass secrets to. Military court documents said the man believed he was engaged with a foreign agent in 2019 when he tried to communicate military information including base telephone directories and maps, assessments of security weaknesses, his own identity card and log-in details for a military network. The wording of the charge said his actions were 'likely to prejudice the security or defense of New Zealand.' He wasn't speaking to a foreign agent, but an undercover New Zealand police officer collecting intelligence on alleged right-wing extremist groups, documents supplied by the military court showed. The soldier came to law enforcement attention as part of an operation that was established after a March 2019 terrorist attack on two mosques in the city of Christchurch, when an Australian white supremacist opened fire on Muslim worshipers, killing 51. Officers spoke to the man twice about his involvement in a group, court documents showed, and after the government became aware he had expressed a desire to defect he was contacted by the undercover officer. When the soldier's hard drive was searched, investigators found a copy of Christchurch gunman Brenton Tarrant's livestreamed video of his massacre and a manifesto document he published online before the killings. Possession of either without permission is a criminal offense in New Zealand and the soldier, who admitted that charge too, joins several others convicted in New Zealand of having or sharing the terrorist's banned material. In a statement read to the court by his lawyer, the man said the two nationalist groups with which he was involved were 'no more than groups of friends with similar points of view to my own,' according to Radio New Zealand. Live Events The laywer, Steve Winter, added that his client denied supporting the Christchurch shooter's ideology, RNZ reported. The soldier — who was based at Linton Military Camp near the city of Palmerston North — also pleaded guilty to accessing a military computer system for dishonest purposes. The amended suite of three charges replaced 17 counts levelled against him earlier in the proceedings. Each of the three charges he admitted carries a maximum prison term of either seven or 10 years in New Zealand. His sentence was expected to be delivered by a military panel within days after Monday's conviction. The man was due to stand trial by court martial on the charges before he admitted the offenses. His was the first charge in a New Zealand military court for espionage or attempted spying. The last time such a case reached the civilian courts before was in 1975, when a public servant was acquitted on charges alleging he had passed information to Russian agents. FAQs Q1. When did espionage case reach New Zealand court prior to this? A1. The last time such a case reached the civilian courts before was in 1975, when a public servant was acquitted on charges alleging he had passed information to Russian agents. Q2. What do we know about New Zealand's first military espionage conviction? A2. The convicted soldier — who was based at Linton Military Camp near the city of Palmerston North — also pleaded guilty to accessing a military computer system for dishonest purposes. The amended suite of three charges replaced 17 counts levelled against him earlier in the proceedings.
News18
a day ago
- News18
Two held for attempting illegal religious conversion in UPs Mau
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Mau (UP), Aug 19 (PTI) Two persons have been arrested for allegedly attempting to covert a man to Christianity in Uttar Pradesh's Mau district, police said on Tuesday. A case has been registered against the arrested accused and an unidentified individual, they said. On Sunday, Akash Kumar, a resident of the district, lodged a complaint against Shyam Kumar Rajbhar and Ravi Shankar, a police officer said. The complainant alleged that, 'Around two months ago Shyam and Ravi were pressuring me to change my religion by offering me money. When I refused, they asked me to come to a prayer meeting near Salahabad." Upon reaching the spot, Akash saw around 60 to 70 people being 'brainwashed" to convert their religion, police said. Acting on the complaint, a police team was sent to the spot on Monday, leading to the arrest of Shyam and Ravi while a few unidentified persons managed to flee, Station House Officer (SHO) Anil Kumar Singh said. The team recovered Christian religious text, books and other religious symbols from the spot, the officer said added. Superintendent of Police Elamaran G said any attempt of illegal conversion will not be tolerated, and strict action will be taken against those involved in such acts. PTI COR NAV OZ OZ (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: August 19, 2025, 16:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
