Former Gloriavale indecent assault victim: ‘He’s no man of God’

The woman who put Gloriavale cult leader Hopeful Christian in prison says he is no man of God and labelled him a “pervert”.

Yvette Olsen this month applied through the courts to have her name suppression lifted and spoke to TVNZ’s Sunday programme tonight about how Christian, previously known as Neville Cooper, sexually assaulted her on three separate occasions.

The assault happened in 1984, when she was 19.

After Ms Olsen left the Springbank Christian Community – the predecessor to Gloriavale – which was based in Cust, North Canterbury and led by Christian, she testified against him in court which led to his being sentenced to five years imprisonment – of which he served less than two.

Ms Olsen said she was inspired to speak to media after her brother’s daughter, known only as Julia, spoke to Campbell Live last month about being the victim of a “wrong relationship” with an adult married man when she was just a child.

Ms Olsen, Julia’s aunt, said of her own experience that Christian had tried to “break her spirit,” and had forced her to call herself a “Harlot” after she became romantically involved as a teenager with a teenage boy at Gloriavale.

“He didn’t have the right to do what he did to me and he’s no man of God,” she said of Christian.