Detective Senior Sergeant Kirsten Norton:

Police have welcomed the verdicts returned today in the Greymouth District
Court, where a man has been found guilty for multiple historical sexual
offences at Gloriavale.

A 58-year-old man has been found guilty of 11 charges of sexual offending
against four out of five victims in this current trial. He is referred for
sentencing to 18 March for these as well as charges pertaining to sexual
offending against 5 further victims some of which date back to the 1980s.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kirsten Norton says West Coast Police acknowledge
the very challenging paths for those involved to finally be heard, and hold
him to account for the harm he has caused.

The Gloriavale Investigation team has the utmost respect for the courage of
these individuals.

“We acknowledge the trauma these incidents would have had on not only each
of the people who have been harmed, but also their family and community.
While we are pleased to now have a resolution in Court, we know that events
like these have a lasting and long reaching impact on survivors of sexual
abuse. It is yet another significant step in the mission of many past and
current members of the Gloriavale Christian Community to ensure that the
current children of Gloriavale are safe from this type of harm now and in the
future.”

“I would also like to acknowledge the support workers and agencies, our
team of investigators, and the Crown Prosecutors who put so much time and
dedication into this case to support and allow the victims to have a
voice.”

Police would like to encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse
to reach out and contact Police or a support service who can assist. We
understand it can be hard to come forward as a victim of sexual abuse. There
are multiple support services working in this area who can assist in making a
report, and provide support along the way.

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