Cult leader charged

Cult leader charged/October 27, 2005
By Tamara McLean

An 83-year-old cult leader will face a Sydney court tomorrow charged with 22 sex offences relating to two adolescent girls.

Kenneth Emmanuel Dyers, co-founder of the so-called spiritual healing group Kenja, was arrested this morning at his home in Bundeena, in Sydney's south.

After several hours of questioning at Sutherland Police Station he was today charged with the aggravated sexual and indecent assault of two 12-year-old girls.

The alleged offences happened at Kenja's offices in Surry Hills, in inner-Sydney, between December 2001 and July 2002.

Mr Dyers, a World War II veteran, faces 17 aggravated indecent assault offences and one count of aggravated sexual assault in relation to the first girl, a New South Wales police spokeswoman said.

He also faces four aggravated indecent assault charges in relation to the other girl.

Police will allege the abuse occurred during the girls' one-on-one sessions with Mr Dyers, which were "designed to assist in clearing negative energies," the spokeswoman said.

He was refused police bail and was remanded in custody to face Sutherland Local Court tomorrow.

Mr Dyers' lawyer Harland Koops said his client had medical conditions and was "very unwell".

"He's going to defend these charges vigorously of course," Mr Koops said as he left the police station with Dyers' defacto wife, former actress Jan Hamilton.

Kenja Communication is a secretive, Sydney-based movement founded in 1982 by Mr Dyers and Ms Hamilton.

Kenja, an anagram of their first names, is a non-religious organisation which preaches the positive power of a form of one-to-one meditation called "energy conversion".

Mr Dyers claims on the Kenja website that he "developed a comprehensive background in business and success bringing out the positive potential and creativity towards others, in people".

He also claims to have done work in mental health.

Ms Hamilton, in her 50s, offers workshops in clowning.

Their website says the combination of Ms Hamilton's clowning training and Mr Dyers' lectures on energy conversion provided the genesis of what is now called Kenja.

Among former members of Kenja is Cornelia Rau, the former Qantas flight attendant wrongfully held in immigration detention.