Trial starts for 85-year-old Gloriavale leader accused of sexual offending
Gloriavale leader Howard Temple will go on trial in Greymouth today on charges of sexual offending against girls for more than 20 years.
The 85-year-old faces 14 charges of indecent assault and 13 charges of doing an indecent act.
The complainants were aged between nine and 20 at the time of the alleged offending, between 1998 and 2022.
According to court documents, 21 of the charges are representative, meaning multiple offences of the same type are alleged to have been committed in similar circumstances.
Temple first appeared in court in July 2023.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges in August of that year and elected a judge-alone trial.
Temple, a former US naval engineer, took up the mantle of Overseeing Shepherd at the West Coast Christan community after the death of founder Hopeful Christian in 2018.
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Howard Temple in court today. Photo: The Press/Kai Schwoerer A climate of fear in Gloriavale prevented a victim from reporting sexual abuse suffered at the hands of the community's 85-year-old leader, a court has heard. Howard Temple - Gloriavale's Overseeing Shepherd - is on trial at the Greymouth District Court on two dozen charges of sexual offending against girls and young women over more than two decades. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The first of nine complainants gave evidence this morning. The former Gloriavale member, who has name suppression, told the court she was too scared to tell anyone of the repeated indecent touching she suffered. Temple had the power to change the trajectory of her life within the community, she said. Defence lawyer Michael Vesty told the court the 85-year-old accepted some of the incidents could have occurred, but he denied they were indecent. They were gestures of gratitude and support that were acceptable conduct in the day-to-day life of the community, Vesty said. Temple would often acknowledge the young women's work in the dining hall or kitchen with an "affectionate hug", he said. The court watched a video of the woman's police interview before she took the stand. She told police she had not told anyone of the alleged touching, groping, hugging and harassment because she feared being blamed. The woman, who was born at Gloriavale and left in her 20s, said women were always considered to be at fault in similar situations. "The man's wife would be at fault because she wasn't doing the right things to keep her husband's eyes only on her and the girl who had been abused was also at fault because she had obviously tempted the man in a way that made him feel like he could do those things to her," she said. Not tying the belt on the uniform in the correct type of bow, pulling up your sleeves, wearing ankle socks or showing too much hair under a headscarf could all be considered attempts to attract a man. Telling anyone about the assaults risked being branded a flirt or worse, she said. Leadership and the rest of the community could shame the girls or they could be isolated, which "happened to a lot of girls", the woman said. "Ultimately maybe if the offences were grave enough, I would never get married, and at Gloriavale that's a pretty severe punishment." She recounted Temple grabbing her, rubbing her legs or pulling her to him in the dining room while she was serving food or drinks. She said she was sure others had noticed but had not intervened. "In addition to being scared to say anything, I thought something was maybe wrong with me for not liking it," the woman said. Vesty cross-examined the complainant this afternoon. He focused on letters Temple sent to the woman when she was a teenager, during periods the community's leader spent in India setting up a Christian community and orphanage, which he said reflected well-meaning interest in the young woman from a pastoral perspective. Vesty accused the woman of embellishing a comment Temple was alleged to have made to her weeks after her marriage asking about her sex life. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
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Several alleged victims and police are expected to give evidence over the coming days. Applications to film in court were denied by Judge Neave, who said he did not want proceedings 'turning into a circus'. The high-profile case and Temple's charges follow a three-year police investigation into the 600-strong Gloriavale community. A total of 24 various charges of indecent assault and doing an indecent act against girls under 12 years, girls aged 12 to 16 years, and others over 16 years have been laid by the Crown. The alleged offending dates back to 1998, with the most recent in 2022. Temple was named over the alleged offending in August 2023. Prior to that, the nature of the charges had been suppressed. This morning, standing in the dock, aided by a communications assistant due to his hearing difficulties, Temple pleaded not guilty to all charges. Charges include hugging young females from behind, placing an arm around their waist, rubbing and touching their legs, backs, inner thighs, and on some occasions touching their breasts and bottoms, as well as kissing the neck of one young girl. The alleged indecent acts are claimed to have occurred in Gloriavale's communal dining area at meal times, in the kitchen, and in one instance, in the men's bathroom. Crown prosecutor Kerry White said it was alleged that while the complainants would stand close to Temple to serve drinks and meals in the dining area, he would take the opportunity to touch their bodies. As the girls got older, they would work in the communal kitchen. The Crown alleges the conduct spanned 25 years. Temple's lawyer Michael Vesty said leaders were involved in the personal, spiritual and emotional lives of those living in the community. Expressions of hugs, an arm around the waist or comments of care were common and often encouraged as 'part of the pastoral dynamic'. Temple denied any of the alleged conduct was indecent. 'He had no sexual motivation. He regrets and is saddened that this is how they now consider his actions,' Vesty said. He said Temple accepted he had shown affection such as hugs, which were often reciprocated. 'They were gestures of gratitude and support which were acceptable in the conduct of day-to-day life in the community.' American-born Temple, the successor to the late Hopeful Christian, who founded the Gloriavale Christian Community in North Canterbury before shifting it to the West Coast in the late 1990s, has lived in the reclusive community for over 40 years. In January, Temple made a public apology on behalf of the Gloriavale church to the community's many victims for any historic abuse suffered. It came after the 2024 Royal Commission of Inquiry into historic Abuse in Care requested Gloriavale apologise to its members. He said the organisation acknowledged that abuse happened within its community between 1950 and 1999. 'To the people of Gloriavale and those who were part of the community that experienced this abuse while among us, we write to you with profound sorrow, acknowledging the pain and suffering that has been experienced by victims and families while within our church group.' - Greymouth Star
