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	Brethren Man Faces Sex Claims By Vanessa Phillips Nelson Mail [New Zealand] April 20, 2007 http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelsonmail/4032728a6007.html Three former Exclusive Brethren women have laid complaints with police about allegedly being sexually abused by the same man as children in Nelson. A fourth woman is understood to be in the process of laying a complaint in Auckland about the man. Constable Sally McBride of the Nelson CIB confirmed that she had received complaints from three women who were former members of the Exclusive Brethren church. She also confirmed that the complaints involved allegations of historical molestation of children by one man over four decades. The women are understood to be aged between 29 and 61 and to be alleging offending in the Nelson area between the early 1950s and early 1980s. Mrs McBride said she had spoken to the three women who had laid complaints with Nelson police, but had not yet spoken to the man, and was unsure if he was a current or former member of the church. However, the Nelson Mail understands that the man is still a member of the sect. Mrs McBride said the investigation was in its early stages and it could be some time before police decided if charges would be laid. The Nelson Mail understands that some of the women were unknown to each other before the complaints were laid. The complaints came about after the women or friends of the women approached two former members of the Exclusive Brethren to ask for help. The mother of the 29-year-old who has laid a complaint alleged that her daughter was six when she was sexually assaulted by the man, then a friend of the family, during overnight stays at the man's house during the space of one year. The family left the church some years later, and the girl told her mother about the alleged abuse when she was 12. She said the man would put her to bed and touch her inappropriately. The mother said she wrote to her parents, who were still in the church, with the allegations. She said her daughter had no reason to make up such allegations. "Both my daughter and I were pretty vulnerable. I had expressed my concerns in a letter home to Mum and Dad. They took their concerns to the church leaders in Nelson and had it looked into, and were told it was completely without foundation." She said they received a letter from the man they had accused, saying he would never do such a thing. The woman said she was a busy mother at the time and felt unable to pursue the allegations further. She said her daughter was prepared to lay a complaint now that she knew there were other women in the same situation. "It's not something she's been actually wanting to do, but she agreed if it was going to help the situation and make it stop." TV One news on Thursday night reported that the church's Australia-based spokesman, Tony McCorkell, was in New Zealand to investigate the claims himself although he was not willing to admit this. Mr McCorkell arrived on Tuesday, announcing his presence and answering media questions about the latest row over political involvement by Brethren members. Asked by One News what the church was doing about the sexual abuse allegations, he replied: "I'm not aware of that. If you have evidence of that, I'd be glad to see it. "If there is a claim, then the church has a moral and a legal, maybe ... obligation to look at it, depending on the circumstances, but certainly the church wouldn't seek to cover that situation up." One woman, who was not identified, said in an interview with One News that she believed there had been "multiple offenders". The network said the women claimed they were abused by the man when they were aged between five and 10. Attempts by the Nelson Mail to get comment from Nelson members of the Exclusive Brethren church were unsuccessful today.
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