The disgraced former leader of the secretive West Coast sect Gloriavale has been sent to prison for more than two years after admitting a raft of sex offences against girls and women over a period of more than 20 years.

Howard Temple sought a sentence of home detention in the Greymouth District Court today after admitting 12 charges against nine girls earlier this year.

The charges spanned more than 20 years and were described by Judge Raoul Neave as “excruciating” for the victims.

Former Gloriavale leader Howard Temple in court at his sent encing for decades of sex abuse. Photo / Joe Allison

Four of Temple’s nine victims shared Victim Impact Statements in court today.

Three of the women read their statements aloud. A fourth was read by a Victim Support advisor.

The first became emotional as she spoke directly to Temple. He sat and listened intently with his hands crossed on his lap.

“Howard was a leader of the community all of my life. You over young girls in the community… he held a place nearly God in our society - he could bind and loosen me from hell,” she said.

“Howard took advantage of his position.. I don’t think you, Howard, have any idea of what you took from me… You used your power over me to exert your sexual wants and needs.

“Your sexual desires came above what was right, and you allowed yourself to take what wasn’t yours… I had no choice in the situation- that choice was all yours.

“You abused my trust. You were not a servant of God. You were using the name of God to cover your sins… I grew up thinking I was the problem, a habitual thought that still reoccurs today.”

The woman said she felt “sick and tense” when she remembered how she felt when Temple would put his hands on her.

“I wanted to pull away. I wanted to scream, but I would be in trouble if I did. That was your power over me - I was always wrong… Who was I to say no to you?

“You were one of the few men who could change the whole trajectory of my life. I knew you had the power to make my life a living hell if you chose to. I knew my family could suffer if I rejected you.”

She said she had been condemned by siblings and other family members for speaking out against Temple.

“You stole my innocence… I know I lost my childhood.

“I’ve had periods of time where I can’t eat anything other than liquids due to the immense pain opening my mouth, calls from clenching my jaw all the time, a common response to your stress.

Gloriavale Christian Community located at Haupiri on the West Coast of the South Island. Photo / George Heard

“I wish I had days where I didn’t have tummy issues and headaches, where I could sleep without unwanted dreams.

“I wish I didn’t have the feeling I needed to stay home, away from everyone and anyone… I wish I didn’t cry so much.

“My life experience has taught me not to trust anybody… I question everything, every intention, every action, word, and body language. It is so exhausting.

“It’s taken me years to realise trust isn’t supposed to feel dangerous.”

She said the abuse had deeply impacted her marriage.

“I expect my husband to treat me badly, and when he never does, I almost provoke him to,” she said.

At trial, she was “grilled for hours with narrow-minded questions” about her personal life. which she found “frustrating and distressing”.

“All to try and find an excuse for this man,” she said.

“I was assaulted over and over with questions and statements that tried to make me look like I was the offender.

“It’s also triggering when the same man who had the power to do that to you once before is now sitting in front of you in the courtroom trying to make me look like I was the one in the wrong.”

She said recovering from the trial was “a process in itself”.

“I wonder if you understand the long-lasting effects of the damage you have caused so many of us,” she said.

“I want the court to understand the fear I had in speaking up, the impact I knew it would have on my family still inside.”

The woman said the impact of Temple’s offending was “immense and far-reaching”.

“The harm you caused stole the youth, innocence, and future. Nothing can return what was taken from me…I ask you to fully recognise the weight of the harm you caused me - harm that I will carry for the rest of my life,” she said.

“What you did didn’t end when the abuse stopped - it changed the way I see myself, the way I trust, the way I move through the world.

“If any accountability you now face means even one child is spared the abuse that I endured, then at least I feel like some good may come from me speaking out and finally exposing the truth.

“I cannot undo what happened to me, but I can make sure it is no longer hidden.”

Home was unsafe for me

The next woman explained at length how Temple’s abuse impacted her every day - from her mental health and emotional well-being to her finances.

It took her many years to speak up.

“Because of the power he held over me, he wore my boundaries down, and my instincts became clouded,” she said.

“As a result, I was unable to defend myself or to speak up in situations where I should have been protected.

“Growing up in this environment, I learned from a young age to silence my instinct and to prioritise obedience. This made it difficult to recognise harmful behaviour and even harder to speak up.

“These conditions meant that when (Temple) misused his authority, I was especially vulnerable.”

She described Temple abusing her when she was nine years old.

“On many occasions, while I was pouring drinks, Howard would reach around and put his arm around my waist, and around my bottom and lower back, up and down,” she said.

“From a young age, I knew that something wasn’t right. I would feel sick in my stomach, and my anxiety would kick in each time I saw my name lost in serving Howard Temple his morning drinks.

“When this behaviour occurred, I did not have the tools, support, or the freedom to challenge what was happening to me.

“This has meant that the impacts of Howard’s behaviour on me have been intense and long-lasting. The harm and trauma caused by Howard’s behaviours towards me continues to follow me into everyday moments - It shows up in the most ordinary parts of my day.”

The woman said she experienced panic attacks, anxiety, insomnia, nightmares and “constant concern” about her health.

“I feel sad a lot of the time… Some weeks are worse than others. I have days where I struggle to see the point of life, where I feel low, I feel guilty,” she said.

“I tell myself that I should be happy because I am no longer at Gloriavale. I often feel worthless and cry because I am disappointed in myself… I’m constantly reminded of what I went through at such a young age.

“Howard Temple’s abuse happened in a community where - as a child - I should have felt safe, supported and protected. Instead, the place that I was meant to be secure has made I was made unsafe.

“The trauma has created moments of distance, hesitation, and difficulty trusting and intimacy or closeness… I find myself second-guessing my feelings, doubting my reasoning and questioning whether I have the right to say ‘this feels wrong’.

“This is one of the most painful and long-lasting impacts of the abuse I have experienced.”

The woman said she was “slowly rebuilding” parts of herself.

“I’m learning to reclaim my voice, restore my dignity and to stand firmly in who I am. But this has been a long and difficult, challenging process,” she said.

“The impact of Howard’s actions did not end on the day they occurred - it continues to shape my life now, but I am determined that his actions will continue to prevent me from living and will not continue to prevent me from living a rich and abundant life.

“My anger towards him and his actions fueled me to move forward with courage, clarity, and restore and protect my mana.”

Unsafe and resentful

The third woman was abused by Temple througout her late teens and early 20s leading her to feel “very unsafe and resentful”.

“Howard Temple used to make his rounds in the kitchen, and I would hide in either the dairy products room or the tiller, so that he would be unable to find and hug me,” she said.

“Every time he hugged me or hit my backside, I would shudder inside, feeling sick and uneasy…I wish that I had used my voice at the time and said, ‘please do not hug me like that’ or ‘no, you cannot touch me’... but I was often in trouble with the leaders and the constant judgment from you, Howard, and other leaders made me doubt myself.

“I felt powerless as I could not speak about my thoughts and concerns - and I had no one.”

Now a mother herself, she firmly understands what Temple did was “unacceptable”.

“Behaviours like this are not tolerated in my family, and I will continue to do all I can to protect others in preventing situations like this occurring again - and ensuring that their voices are heard,” she said.

Former Gloriavale leader Howard Temple. Photo / Joe Allison

“Howard, I do pray that you will listen to the truth, as the truth will set you free, and I hope that you will take accountability for your actions.

“I have not meant to hurt you in any way, but I’ve only spoken the truth of my experiences all those years ago.

“As a man in your position, I pray that you will not repeat these actions again if they are wrong and harmful.”

The fourth woman said her statement was incredibly difficult to write as she “did not want to feel vulnerable again”.

She spoke of suffering depression and feeling unsafe around men which made it hard for her to find and keep work.

“There have been many days when I have been unable to face the day,” the advisor read.

“Simply leaving the house feels scary… I am scared of enjoying something. I worry that if I enjoy something, something bad will happen.

“I feel unable to walk alone… my self-expression has been heavily impacted. Until a month ago, wearing a skirt felt unsafe; it made me think of the harassment.

“I still find it hard to say ‘no’ and set healthy boundaries. I struggle to look a man in the eye.”

She said she felt “different, strange and self-conscious” and had nightmares “every night”, which meant she barely slept.

“My parents and family inside (Gloriavale) are undoubtedly being told I am evil for persecuting the leader of their community,” the advisor read.

“This has impacted my faith and beliefs, and I am struggling to work it all out… it has made me question everything.”

Offending ‘premeditated’

Judge Neave heard submissions from both the Crown and defence about the sentence Temple should receive.

Crown prosecutor Kerry White said Temple’s offending was premeditated - and continued even after a warning from police.

She said his offending “persisted” for many years.

At Temple’s trial she revealed that police spoke to him in 2018 and “orally warned him about the unwanted and uninvited touching”.

At the time police knew two of the victims had made formal statements.

“So he was warned and subsequent to that, he’s continued with the offending against the two younger victims in this case,” said White.

Gloriavale leader Howard Temple initially denied the offending. Photo / George Heard

“He’s continued despite being told clearly by the police.

“And in my submission - and certainly after listening to these victim impact statements - these victims were particularly vulnerable, not just because of their age, but because of the environment they were being brought up in.”

White said that as the head of the Gloriavale community, he was “effectively the person next to God - and their gateway to heaven”.

“They were, in my submission, particularly vulnerable.”

Judge Neave agreed with White that Temple appeared to have “an utter lack of awareness” of the effects of his behaviour and the autonomy of his victims.

Defence seeks home detention

Defence lawyer Michael Vesty sought a term of home detention for Temple.

He said he would not be seeking any discount for Temple’s good character outside his offending given the span of time he abused the victims.

He said Temple had had a “significant amount of time to reflect” on his offending.

“And the victims and their families are people that he and his family are deeply connected with - so he’s had the opportunity to reflect on his behaviour and the way in which that has not only affected the victims, but how the ripples have affected many others - not just within the community,” he said.

He accepted Temple had admitted a raft of charges and the Judge had to denounce and deter him - and others - from future offending.

However, he asked the court to consider that Temple was now an elderly man “of diminishing physical and cognitive health” when passing down a sentence.

He accepted that Temple’s position in the community made his offending worse and that there was a “severe power imbalance”.

But he refuted suggestions the abuse was premeditated.

He said Temple was well aware that “as a shepherd… this is not how you look after your flock”.

“It was Mr Temple who initiated the physical contact - that was always the case. It’s accepted too that the victims had a real inability to act following the offending,” he said.

“It’s accepted that, given the situation they were in, they couldn’t easily tell family; they couldn’t easily confront Mr Temple, and they would have been acutely aware of the perceived repercussions of speaking out.

“It’s accepted too that there’s a scale to this offending… the time period over which it has happened - the word I would use to describe it is perhaps it was habitual… and the victims would have also had the trepidation of it happening again on their mind, which I accept is an aggravating feature.”

The Gloriavale Christian Community is a small and isolated Christian community located at Haupiri on the West Coast of the South Island in New Zealand, and it has an estimated population of over 600. Photo / George Heard

Vesty said Temple had “closely read” the victim statements.

“He understands that his offending has gone beyond the immediate impact on his victims, that it puts their families in very difficult positions, particularly those who remain in the community,” he said.

“It impacts on how they see themselves in the community and no doubt it impacts, as we’ve heard today on how they view themselves.”

He said home detention was the most appropriate consequence for the offender.

“He’s 85 years old. He’s in declining physical health. He has a declining memory… he has declining cognitive functioning.

“He has lived outside of the community itself for two-and-a-half years… and given his restriction from entering the community, it has been a form of detention for him.

“He has not been able to enter the common areas. He has not been able to operate as an Overseeing Shepherd… he’s stepped down from that role.

“He’s now in his twilight years… and is becoming more and more dependent on his family. If he is to serve a term of home detention, that will see his total removal from the Gloriavale community ,and that is significant because he has lived at that community most of his adult life.

“Despite his ties to the community - he will no longer be able to contribute to that community… and his inability to work or contribute to this community is a significant feature of any penalty the court imposes.”

Vesty said in addition, Temple would be “alienated from his family and supporters”.

“What is important to the defendant currently is that he does not wish to be a burden on his family and community - and wants to continue to do what he can, as his age and his health allow.

“A sentence of home detention and my submission will also allow Mr Temple to reflect and develop further insight in terms of the impact of his offending.”

The judge’s decision revealed

After a short adjournment, Judge Neave handed down Temple’s sentence.

He said it was not in his remit to make any judgment or comment about the operation or beliefs of the Gloriavale community.

Rather, his role was to sentence Temple for the offences he had been convicted of.

He outlined the offending, saying it must have been “interminable and excruciating” for the nine victims.

The victims felt like they were trapped due to Temple’s leadership position.

He said that when Temple was spoken to by police, he admitted his actions were not appropriate.

“But that realisation came terribly late in the piece,” said Judge Neave.

“Clearly, this was a breach of trust… significant breaches of trust due to your status. The victims were young people who resided in that community, essentially under your protection… and had no way of escape.

“This offending... happened in their home - a place they were entitled to feel safe.”

Judge Neave said while the physical offending was at the lower end of the scale, the repetition and significant harm dramatically escalated the case.

“They were children. And you were old enough to be their grandfather or even great-grandfather... (there was) an utter lack of concern for the interests of those whom you were there to protect, constantly taking advantage of the situation that presented itself,” he said.

“There’s the element of hypocrisy in your actions - against the professed principles of your community.”

After considering the Crown and defence submissions, Judge Neave reached a decision.

He set a starting point of three years in prison.

He gave Temple an eight percent discount for his guilty plea - despite it being “belated in the extreme”.

He also allowed a five percent discount of for Temple’s “willingness to participate” in restorative justice and “a dawning” in his mind about the gravity of his feeling.

However, it was clear to Judge Neave that Temple still failed to fully understand his offending and the impact it had.

The judge also made small allowances for Temple’s age and declining health - and the fact he has been restricted from his family and community during his time on bail.

His final decision was a sentence of 26 months in prison.

Temple’s litany of offending

The women described Temple taking advantage of the domestic duties they performed to touch, caress and grope them, such as during meal times, when they would be serving large, heavy jugs of non-alcoholic cider or hot drinks to tables of 50 or more. One woman said she was left without “any hands free to protect myself”.

The women said it was common practice to attempt to arrive early so they could be allocated to any table except Temple’s.

The only space to pour would be at his side at the head of the table, which allowed him to grab the young women around the waist, caressing them from their calves to their lower backs or grabbing them around their waists.

“He would run his hand up and down my legs, and touch my bum, or put his arm around me. He would ask me if anyone had told me they loved me today,” one woman told the court.

Former Gloriavale leader Howard Temple in court at his senencing for decades of sex abuse. Photo / Joe Allison

She would usually “just shrug” because she was scared, “but if he persisted, I would often lie and said yes, someone has told me they loved me, because I didn’t want him to say he loved me”.

Another woman said this would happen while Temple was flanked by his wife and daughter and in front of the entire community of more than 500 people, “but no one ever spoke up or said anything, so I didn’t know that I would be allowed to. I didn’t know it was wrong, I just know it didn’t feel right to me”.

Temple was also alleged to have frequented the kitchen to “hug” the young women from behind while they were cooking or washing dishes, kissing them on their necks, touching their breasts or making lewd remarks.

Asked why she feared Temple, one woman said it was because the leaders hold all the authority in Gloriavale and “had the power to ruin your life”.

“Right from a baby, you’re taught not to speak against the leaders. As a woman you’re supposed to be meek and quiet with downcast eyes,” she said.

“When you do speak up about abuse that has happened, it was inevitably your fault because you seduced them somehow.

“I knew nothing good would come of saying anything. I didn’t have anyone to protect me because my parents hold the leaders in ultimate authority and they would listen to the leaders over their own daughter.”

The complainants told the court that there was no way to refuse Temple, nor to report his actions to anyone.

Temple originally faced 24 charges. But on July 29, he entered guilty pleas to five charges of indecent assault, five of doing an indecent act and two of common assault.

Under the Crimes Act 1961, he was facing a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

On August 12, it was announced that Temple had resigned as Gloriavale’s leader – a position known as the Overseeing Shepherd.

Temple is a former US Navy engineer who stepped into the leadership role in 2018 after the death of the community’s founder, Hopeful Christian.

Christian – whose real name was Neville Cooper – was sentenced to six years in prison in September 1994, after being found guilty by a jury of 10 counts of indecent assault between 1980 and 1984 against five young complainants.

He was aged between 53 and 57 at the time of the offending.

Following an appeal and retrial, Christian was sentenced to five years in prison after he was found guilty of three charges of indecent assault.

Current Overseeing Shepherd Stephen Standfast declined to speak about Temple’s offending and sentence.

A number of Gloriavale members were in court to support Temple today.

Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 20 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz

SEXUAL HARM

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