Polygamist Leader Sam Bateman Insists He's a "Kind and Loving Father" During Child Abuse Trial
Sam Bateman—whose sex crimes were exposed in Netflix’s Trust Me: The False Prophet—is now on trial in Arizona for child abuse.
Polygamist sect leader Sam Bateman is defending himself in court as a “kind and loving father.”
Bateman—who was already serving a 50-year federal sentence for operating a child sex abuse ring—is now on trial in Arizona’s Coconino County for three counts of child abuse, according to court records reviewed by Oxygen.com.
The charges stem from allegations that Bateman—the subject of Netflix’s documentary Trust Me: The False Prophet—endangered three minors by placing them in an enclosed cargo trailer on the highway, without any seatbelts or ventilation, according to the Arizona Daily Sun.
Bateman has chosen to represent himself, with advisory help from public defender Daniel Hartman-Strawn, in the ongoing trial, which began June 23.
“I'm a kind and loving father, that's just what I am,” he said in court, captured on video by Hidden True Crime. “I'm very kind and gentle, and I don't ever willingly harm anybody. I don't even spank my children.”
What is Sam Bateman on Trial For?
Prosecutor Eric Ruchensky noted in pre-trial filings obtained by the Arizona Daily Sun that the trial is focused on very specific endangerment allegations.
“The allegations in this case,” he wrote, “relate to the narrow fact pattern of victims traveling in an unsafe trailer that posed a danger.”
He added that he hoped to avoid bringing in Bateman’s religion as a member of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) before establishing his own polygamous sect. Both sides also agreed to keep the documentary out of the trial, the news outlet reported.
Oxygen.com reached out the prosecutor’s office for additional comment, but did not receive an immediate reply.
Sam Bateman Already Serving Federal Sentence for Running Child Sex Abuse Ring
Bateman is already serving a 50-year sentence after he pled guilty in 2024 to federal charges of conspiracy to commit transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona.
Federal prosecutors accused the polygamist sect leader of operating a “years-long child sexual abuse conspiracy” that allowed him to abuse at least 10 children.
“In 2020 and 2021, Bateman’s followers gave their minor daughters and wards to him as child ‘brides’ to sexually abuse,” prosecutors wrote. “The victims were as young as nine years old. Through coercion and manipulation, Bateman regularly forced his victims to participate with him in individual and group sexual activities with adults and other children.”
RELATED: Where Are Samuel Bateman’s Wives Now? Inside the Fight to Free His FLDS Child Brides
He also gave one minor, according to authorities, to another adult male follower to sexually abuse.
Prosecutors also alleged in an earlier statement that Bateman often traveled “across state lines” to collect his “wives.”
Christine Marie Weighs in on Sam Bateman’s Latest Trial
Bateman was brought down, in part, by the efforts of Christine Marie and Tolga Katas. The couple managed to infiltrate Bateman’s polygamist sect after moving to the FLDS community of Colorado City, Ariz., recording Bateman and his victims under the guise that they were creating a documentary to spread his message.
Marie and Katas then provided their recordings, which serve as the basis of the Netflix documentary, to the FBI.
In one November 2021 conversation, Marie captured Bateman talking about an Atonement in which he gave three of his wives—including one minor—“to his three male followers,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
Christine Marie and Tolga Katas in Trust Me: The False Prophet.
Photo: Netflix
Marie said she planned to attend Bateman’s current trial in a TikTok video filmed on her drive down to Flagstaff and asked for people to send their “prayers and positive energy” to the victims who will be testifying.
Disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards' blog shows staggering lack of awareness, campaigners say
Child sexual abuse campaigners have criticised disgraced ex-BBC News presenter Huw Edwards for his "inappropriate and disrespectful" choice to launch a blog, with one calling it a "staggering lack of awareness".
In 2024, Edwards admitted to accessing 41 images of children, including seven of the most serious type, and was given a six-month sentence, suspended for two years.
On Wednesday, he launched a Substack blog offering "commentary and analysis" on issues such as current affairs and mental health.
But Edwards has been criticised by some for "lacking remorse".
Responding to the criticism, Edwards said "those exercised by the piece might have missed the intent expressed" on the blog.
Edwards, who was also placed on the sex offenders' register for seven years, told the BBC he had expressed "sincere regret and remorse" in court in 2024, and in a public statement issued in March.
Emma Jane Taylor, a campaigner and founder of grassroots charity Project 90-10, said: "To think he can simply return to a public platform and be received as though nothing has happened shows a staggering lack of awareness."
The 53-year-old, who is a survivor of child sexual abuse, works full time in the fitness and wellbeing sector and runs the organisation on a voluntary basis because she believes there is a need for "better awareness, better safeguarding, and better training".
Reacting to Edwards' blog, she said: "I am deeply frustrated by this. Because of my personal trauma, I decided to speak out in my 40s. So many people are so afraid to have this conversation, so we don't.
"If it was the bloke next door, everyone would be up in arms about it. And I don't doubt people will be, but some will say he deserves a second chance.
"He is on the sex offenders' register – that should not entitle him to a blog. We don't want to hear from you, Huw," she said.
Bridgend-born Edwards, whose career started in Wales before he became one of the public broadcaster's highest-paid newsreaders, presented BBC's News at Ten for decades.
In that time he delivered some of the biggest stories in British recent history including Queen Elizabeth II's death.
He has previously criticised a Channel 5 drama about his court case, saying in a statement that it was a "one-sided account" with "misleading and fabricated claims".
Taylor added she was particularly "angry and deeply upset for his victims" following the publication of the blog.
"They had to dig so deep to bring this man to justice. They are trying to rebuild their life.
"It will put survivors back in their box. We need to get to a point where victims can be heard, believed and seen without having the pressure of celebrated perpetrators... where survivors have a voice and paedophiles don't."
In his first Substack blog post - on which the comment function is not enabled - Edwards said he was "attempting to rebuild some kind of worthwhile life".
Taylor said that should be done "privately", and should start with "showing some remorse".
"He had his chance. If you really feel that strongly about your journey, go and invest that in helping other sex offenders stop offending. Maybe go into prisons," she said.
"Putting yourself on a pedestal is not going to help this conversation. Public trust is not something you're entitled to, you earn it. Actions have consequences."
Fflur Emlyn, deputy chief executive at RASASC North Wales, which supports survivors of sexual violence and abuse, said the charity's "primary concern is always the impact on those affected".
She emphasised that "offences involving indecent images of children are not victimless".
"These images document the abuse of real children, and many survivors live with the long-term effects of that exploitation.
"In all of this, it is important that we do not lose sight of the impact on victims — both directly and indirectly. The reality is that sexual abuse can have devastating and long-lasting consequences.
"We recognise that recent developments in this case, including a return to public platforms, can have an impact on survivors. If anyone has been affected, support is available."
In response to the criticisms, Edwards pointed to a statement issued in March that "conveys 'deep regret and remorse' and includes 'sincere and profound apologies'".
The statement, issued in response to the Channel 5 drama, said he "took full responsibility for my reprehensible actions".
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