Gloriavale man on trial for 20 child sex offences

Joanne Naish | The Press |

A man is on trial for 20 charges of sexual offending against children spanning more than 30 years at the Gloriavale Christian community.

Jonathan Benjamin, 58, is facing a jury trial in the Greymouth District Court.

He has pleaded not guilty to four charges of sexual violation by rape, seven charges of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, five charges of indecent assault on a girl under 12, two charges of indecent assault on a girl aged between 12 and 16 and two charges of indecent assault.

The charges date from 1986 to 2017 in both Cust and Haupiri, where the community were living at the time of the offending.

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