Religious leader and partner charged over alleged historical child grooming – Strike Force Gandell/Illawarra Mercury/ March 11, 2023
Watch: Religious leader and partner charged over alleged historical child grooming – Strike Force Gandell
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00:00 Good afternoon. I'm Detective Superintendent Jane Doherty, the Commander of the Sex Crime
00:09 Squad for New South Wales. In September 2023, a 19-year-old female came forward to police
00:16 to report that from the age of six until 19, she'd been groomed for sexual activity by
00:23 a founder of a religious group from the South Coast and his partner. As a result of those
00:30 allegations, Strike Force Gandel was commenced by the Sex Crime Squad Extended Supervision
00:35 Order Team to investigate those allegations. As a result of that investigation, on Thursday
00:42 the 7th of March 2024, detectives executed search warrants in a unit in Sydney and also
00:50 on the religious group's property in Bangalee on the South Coast. During the search of the
00:56 South Coast, a number of buildings including a house, an office and some sheds were searched,
01:02 at which time police will allege that we seized a number of items directly connected to this
01:07 investigation. As a result of further investigations, about 12 o'clock today, a 73-year-old male
01:17 and a 58-year-old female were arrested at a unit in Sydney. Those two people have been
01:23 taken to the Day Street Police Station and currently being charged in relation to these
01:27 offences. Is there any questions anyone has?
01:38 So police will allege that over that period, the child was groomed, she was advised by
01:44 the religious leader and his partner that she had been selected to procreate with that
01:50 religious leader and to build a new sect. Police will allege that during a number of
01:56 those years, the male accused was an inmate in a correctional centre and utilised various
02:04 methods such as phone calls, letters and using the female accused as a co-accused in that
02:13 matter to groom that child and gave her gifts and gave her certain directions in relation
02:18 to the grooming. These are horrendous allegations that any
02:27 child should be groomed for that. These are 13 of the formidable years for this young
02:32 girl and she's to be commended that she's so brave to come forward now and I would encourage
02:38 anyone who has any information in relation to this child or any other child that they
02:43 feel may have been abused to come forward to police and report it. They can report to
02:47 Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. How many charges are against these two people?
02:54 They're still in the charge process at the moment. There are a number of charges. So
02:58 the male offender has charges in relation to failing to comply with an extended supervision
03:04 order, grooming of a child under the age of 14 and grooming of a child for unlawful sexual
03:11 activity and incite a person to carry out sexual act without consent and the female
03:17 will have similar offences but not the extended supervision order ones.
03:30 At this stage it was directed abuse and that's what we'll be alleging in court.
03:40 She came to a point in her life where she was supported enough to come through and that's
03:46 where I say that it's important that if someone has information that they support a victim
03:51 and encourage them to seek help to the point that they are able to come forward to police
03:56 and then we will give them the support that they need to follow on, we'll go along with
04:00 their journey as far as they're willing to go along with their journey.
04:12 I don't have a number of letters but there were, I'm led to believe from the items seized,
04:18 there were a number of gifts, some things that were made from within jail, letters and
04:23 diaries that were all maintained and police will allege that those were located during
04:28 the search warrant and that they are directly related to the offences.
04:35 I don't have information on any specific child, however it's consistent with previous allegations
04:41 for which one of the accused was charged.
04:47 Anything further?
04:48 No, thank you very much.
04:50 Thank you.
04:52 Thank you.
04:54 [BLANK_AUDIO]