Man jailed for 21 years over child sex offences
Joshua Askew
A man has been given a 21-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault offences against a young girl.
Williams, who was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Friday after being convicted in August, was jailed for 20 years, with an extra year on extended licence.
Det Sgt Nick Green, from the Eastbourne Safeguarding Investigations Unit, praised the victim's "tremendous bravery and courage" in coming forward.
The attacks were reported to police in May 2020 after the victim told a family member.
The girl - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - has received support from specially trained officers.
Det Sgt Green said: "Thanks to her resilience, we have been able to secure this conviction. This has been a deeply upsetting case and I hope she can now start to rebuild her life.”
He urged any victim of rape or sexual assault to report it to police.
Minister in Two by Twos admits 55 child sex abuse
charges in New Zealand
- The charges are of historical child sex abuse spanning four decades
- The Kerikeri 79-year-old has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced in December
- The religious group known as the Two by Twos, or The Truth, is also under investigation
- The FBI is investigating it for historical child sexual abuse
A Kerikeri man has admitted 55 charges of historical child sexual abuse committed while he was a member of a secretive sect known as the Two by Twos.
William Stephen Easton, known as Bill Easton, was remanded in custody when he appeared in the Kaikohe District Court on Tuesday.
He will be sentenced in December.
The 79-year-old former real estate agent did not seek bail or continued suppression, which means he can now be named.
His offending spanned four decades and took place around the country, involving six victims who were boys at the time. The youngest was 8-years-old.
Easton's brief appearance before Judge John McDonald this morning was his first because he had previously been too unwell to attend court.
His lawyer, Doug Blaikie, said he was prepared to take part in restorative justice, if that was what the victims wanted.
Easton was a minister of the Two by Twos, also known as The Truth, an underground Christian sect, from 1966 until he was removed from the group's leadership in 1976.
However, insiders have told RNZ that Easton remained part of the group, attending meetings in members' homes, until last year.
He was also listed until recently as a real estate agent on the Harcourts Bay of Islands website.
Its director, Scott Cousins, said Easton was no longer with the company.
"Bill Easton advised us of the historic charges against him, which occurred prior to his association with our company. He immediately left our organisation. We were shocked and appalled by these charges and this remains the case," he said.
Cousins said the company would not make any further comment while the matter was being handled by the courts.
Easton was arrested as part of an investigation into accusations of sex offending by members of the Two by Twos.
The group is being investigated by the FBI.
Police initially charged him with 17 indecent assault and sexual violation offences that occurred between 1964 and 1981, involving four victims.
A further 38 charges were laid this month relating to two more victims.
The Two by Twos have about 2500 members and 60 ministers in New Zealand.
It is not registered as a charity and had no official name or church buildings.
A hallmark of the group is that its itinerant ministers travel in pairs and stay in members' homes.
Gloriavale Leavers' Support Trust manager Liz Gregory said it had many markers of a cult including overt and subtle rules that resulted in coercive control. Operating with no names or buildings meant it was easier to avoid accountability.
Earlier this year, the sect's overseer Wayne Dean confirmed police here were investigating at least one former minister for historical abuse, and the group was aware of 14 cases of allegations against members.
Sect insiders, whom RNZ has agreed not to name, said Easton's history of sexually abusing young boys was widely known by members and leaders of the group, but he continued to attend meetings until last year.
One said the fact his offending continued for decades across the country, while remaining a member, was a huge concern.
"I hope that it starts to wake some people up about how bad some of these people have been and how [their offending has] been covered up to the extreme."
The member said Easton had been raised in the sect and understood his family were wealthy contributors.
Records showed he started as a minister in 1966, aged 23, and continued until 1976, when it was understood he was removed from ministry in New Zealand but was still able to attend meetings in people's homes.
The member said in the 1970s, Easton was also banned from attending the Pukekohe Convention for life, but the reason was kept secret.
"For him to be removed from the work was pretty big back then."
The member said it must have been bad, given how the deferential the group was to families with wealth and influence.
Group leaders would "turn a blind eye on certain things depending on who you are and how much money you have".
Easton had two late siblings, who were also ministers and had defended him against allegations.
"It's probably why he got away with what he did for as long as he did and even long after he left the ministry."
The earliest charges against Easton relate to offending in Whanganui in 1964.
The next charge related to another victim and occurred in Dannevirke in 1976, after he had been banned from ministry.
The charges showed he also preyed on young boys in Timaru in 1972, in Dannevirke from 1976-81, and Kerikeri from 1980-1990.
The insider hoped the court proceedings would start to bring closure for those victims.
"I think that might actually be very healing for them to hear that he admits what he's done ... that it starts to bring them some healing."
Meanwhile, Dean has stepped down from his overseer role.
In a message shared with sect ministers that was sent to RNZ by numerous sources, he said: "The burden and weight of responsibility has become too heavy for me. I thought I could manage, but it has built up to such a degree that I feel I need a break for a while to see if I can recover. I do not know how long this might be."
The message said two men, Tim Hamilton and Dalton McGuiness, would take on the role in Dean's absence, and would "be working together for your good".
Hamilton confirmed Easton was a minister in the sect for a decade from 1966 but said he could not provide further information.
"We are unable to make any comments while the case is before the courts."
"I do wish to reiterate that our heartfelt message to all survivors/victims is one of support and encouragement.
"We recognise they have experienced pain and suffering through no fault of their own. We acknowledge the courage of those who have shared their experience, and are mindful also of those whose voices are still silent, unable to speak of the trauma endured."
‘Worse than the church’: Lawyers of
child sexual abuse victims slam
‘delay tactics’ of Scouts Australia
Scouts Australia has been accused of going to extraordinary lengths to delay justice for some of the survivors of its notorious and brutal past.
Lawyers acting for two men who were sexually abused by scout leaders when they were children have accused the organisation of employing cruel delay tactics to dodge legal action and prevent justice.
One of the survivors, John*, was part of a local scout group as a child and was allegedly sexually abused at a camp around 1993 or 1994.
A formal complaint was lodged with Scouts New South Wales on February 24 last year.
Since then, a spokesperson for law firm Slater and Gordon said there has been radio silence with emails, letters, phone calls, voicemails and messages left with assistants completely ignored.
Another survivor of abuse, a man named Jack*, has experienced similar stonewalling from the Victorian branch of Scouts Australia.
Jack was sexually abused in the mid-1970s by a scout leader who gave him music lessons. The perpetrator, who is now dead, was accused of also abusing an eight-year-old boy around the same time.
According to police reports, the man was known for parking his bicycle outside St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School and talking with children, encouraging them to join the 1st Port Melbourne Scouts group.
Jack reported the abuse to police and Scouts Victoria in 2021, before engaging Slater and Gordon to act on his behalf.
Since then, his lawyer has been “continuously chasing” Scouts Victoria’s lawyer, who had initially detailed their availability for an informal meeting in January this year.
There has been no response to correspondence since then.
Stephanie Brown, head of abuse law at the firm Slater and Gordon, described the organisation’s behaviour towards survivors as “worse than that of the church”.
“We have repeatedly encountered instances where Scouts Australia has failed to answer emails or schedule crucial meetings, causing significant delays in the resolution of abuse claims,” Ms Brown said.
“These delay tactics are deeply harmful to survivors who have already endured so much. Our clients have courageously come forward to seek justice, only to face unnecessary hurdles that add to their trauma.”
Following the historic Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which ran from 2013 and made a number of significant recommendations, there is no longer a time limit on child sexual abuse compensation claims.
The reforms allow survivors to pursue damages regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.
Despite the Royal Commission’s damning revelations of abuse and the poor treatment of survivors, legal experts have accused organisations of deliberately dragging out matters in a bid to frustrate those seeking justice.
“By deliberately delaying outcomes, institutions who allowed the abuse to perpetrated on these children are hoping survivors will be worn down and give up,” Ms Brown said.
“This is done with no regard for the severe affect this behaviour has on survivors.
“In many instances we are finding the behaviour we’re encountering from Scouts Australia as worse than that of the church when it comes to dealing with historical child abuse claims.”
Ms Brown said organisations are more concerned with “protecting their image” than dealing in good faith with survivors.
“For our clients, it’s about a continuous journey to healing and justice,” she said.
“Justice delayed is justice denied. We are calling for urgent action to ensure that all matters are addressed in a timely and respectful manner, without further delay.
Scout leaders are broadly considered to be among the worst perpetrators of child sexual abuse in the sports and recreation space, with a number of high-profile convictions in recent times.
Former scout leader Kim Richard Henry was jailed in 2017 for the abuse of 15 boys between 1974 and 1989.
In sentencing him to more than 12 years’ imprisonment for 33 serious charges, the Country Court in Victoria declared his “depraved” acts had caused havoc in the lives of his victims.
That same year, another former leader, Neville Budge, was convicted of abusing eight boys between 1995 and 2002 while working in the Geelong region.
In October 2018, in the shadow of the Royal Commission’s damning findings, Scouts Australia issued an apology to survivors of child sexual abuse.
Phil Harrison, chief commissioner of the organisation, acknowledged the organisation had “failed” children in its care, causing “pain” to many.
“Scouts Australia has a responsibility to survivors of abuse and we will honour that,” Mr Harrison said.
He added that the organisation was “willing to meet with anyone who wishes to meet with us” to address the harm suffered.
In a statement to news.com.au, Chris Allen, national general manager of Scouts Australia, denied the survivors’ and Slater and Gordon’s claims.
“Scouting has served young people for more than a century,” Mr Allen said.
“Scouts Australia has a zero-tolerance policy towards abuse and is aware of the impact historical matters may have on survivors.
It is unaware of any failure to respond appropriately to communications from a law firm or survivor but will investigate if details are provided.”
He said Scouts Australia deals with its “historic failures promptly, honestly and respectfully”.
* Pseudonyms given to protect the identity of survivors
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