Second man linked to 'The Truth' 2x2 religious sect charged with sex crimes

RNZ News, New Zealand/November 29, 2024

By Amy Williams

A hymn book used by members of the religious group known as the Two by Twos or The Truth.A hymn book used by members of the religious group known as the Two by Twos or The Truth. Photo: Supplied
Police have charged another man linked to a secretive sect with historical sex crimes against multiple victims who were young boys at the time.

An 80-year-old man appeared in Whangārei District Court on Thursday facing a raft of charges, including sodomy and bestiality, spanning almost two decades.

He pleaded not guilty and has interim name suppression until his next court appearance in February.

The four complainants were aged between 12 and 15 at the time of the alleged offending, in the 1970s and 1980s.

The man is charged with 12 counts of indecent assault on a boy aged between 12-16, two indecent acts on a boy aged between 12-16, one charge of sodomy on a person under 16 and one charge of bestiality.

He was part of a religious group known as the Two by Twos or The Truth, which is under investigation by the FBI for historical child sexual abuse.

Former members warn it is a highly controlling and insular group, with many unwritten rules.

The Christian sect has about 2500 members and 60 ministers in New Zealand, is not registered as a charity and has no official name or church buildings.

A hallmark of the group is that its itinerant ministers travel in pairs and stay in members' homes.

The arrest follows the conviction of Kerikeri man Bill Easton, who pleaded guilty to sexual offending against boys that spanned three decades when he was part of the sect.

Easton was a former minister of the sect. He is due to be sentenced on 6 December.