Christian Leader Given Nine Years for Molesting Children

By livus Mon Jul 18th, 2005 at 05:07:19 AM EST

On Thursday 14 June Graham Capill, the former leader of minor New Zealand political party Christian Heritage, was convicted of sexually abusing three little girls aged between 8 and 12.
He was sentenced to a total of eleven years, including nine years in jail, for rape of a girl under 12, indecent assault, and unlawful sexual connection with the three girls.

The arrest and prosecution followed an alarm raised by a pastor in Capill's own church, to whom one of the girls confided. The offences took place over a period of twelve years. The allegations made headlines when Capill, then under name suppression, was punched in the faceby a retired boxer, outside the court. The incident was caught on film.
This is interesting given Capill's long history of moralising, particularly against homosexuality, which he linked to pedophilia. He also now claims to have been abused as a teenager. However, an email to his supporters in which he made light of the accusations and implied that the abuse had been consensual has raised concerns that Capill may not yet understand the meaning of his actions.

via (kuro5hin)
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