Phil Cooper: Where is Neville Cooper’s Son Now?

| TheCinemaholic| Shivangi Sinha |

Phil Cooper had known his father, Neville Cooper, as the leader of a religious commune in New Zealand. The childhood he experienced was far from ordinary, and as the years passed, Phil began to question many of the beliefs, teachings, and ways of life that he had been raised with. His frustration continued to grow until it reached a point where he took several drastic steps that he believed were in the best interests of both himself and his family. In Paramount+’s ‘Devotion: Obedience or Betrayal,’ Phil reflects on his upbringing, his experiences within the community, and the decisions that ultimately led him away from it. He also shares his thoughts on the Gloriavale commune and how he views its culture and influence to this day.

Phil Cooper Took His Wife and Children After Leaving a Religious Group

Phil Cooper was one of the sixteen children born to Neville and Gloria Cooper. He was born in Australia and was around five years old when his parents moved the family to New Zealand in 1967. Within a few years, his father went on to establish what would eventually become the Gloriavale community. Like the other children growing up within the group, Phil was raised according to its teachings and values. He recalled accepting as normal the simple uniforms members wore, the belief that women were expected to submit to male leadership, and the emphasis placed on traditional gender roles. In the series, Phil also spoke about allegedly working in the various businesses operated by the community from a very young age.

Phil was 18 years old when he married 21-year-old Sandy Benjamin. Like him, she had also grown up within the communal setting, and together they began building a family and welcoming children into their lives. Over time, however, Phil started to disagree with some of the group’s values and practices and began questioning many of the beliefs he had been raised with. Although he left the community on a few occasions, it was in 1989 that he made his final departure. By then, he and Sandy were parents to four children, Israel, Tendy, Crystal, and Andreas. Phil later said that he felt a strong desire to find his own place in the world and to build a life outside the confines of the community in which he had been raised.

After leaving the community, Phil settled in Australia and became involved with the LDS Church. However, he later said that he could never stop thinking about his children, who remained behind. In 1991, he devised a plan to take his wife, Sandy, and their four children out of the community, and he was successful in doing so. The family relocated to the US, where their fifth son, Dawn, was born. Phil said that he believed Sandy would eventually adjust to life outside the community, but that never happened. A short time later, she chose to return to Gloriavale. What Phil did not know at the time was that she was pregnant with their sixth child when she left. The separation from his family continued, and in 1994, Phil testified against Neville during the trial in which the latter faced charges relating to sexual abuse and indecent assault.

Phil Cooper Continues to Oppose the Gloriavale Community Even Today

In 2009, Phil learned about the existence of his youngest daughter, Cherish, and made his way to the Gloriavale community. There, he was confronted by his father and he demanded that he be reunited with his daughter. Permission was not granted immediately, but Phil continued to fight for contact and eventually pursued a custody battle. A few years later, he succeeded in obtaining custody of Cherish. Since then, Phil has continued living in Australia with several of his children. However, the outcome was not entirely in his favor. A court ordered that his son, Dawn, be returned to Sandy Cooper, and Phil was required to comply with that decision. One of his daughters also chose to return to the commune when she was 13 years old.

Despite these setbacks, Phil has remained outspoken about his experiences and the impact that life within the community had on him and his family. In 2018, when his father passed away, Phil did not attend the funeral. He publicly stated that he did not know whether he would be welcome and whether his presence would be appreciated by those still living within the community. Phil has long been one of the most vocal critics of Gloriavale, and his experiences were also explored in the 2009 biography ‘Sins of the Father: The Long Shadow of a Religious Cult’ by Fleur Beale.

Reflecting on the events of 1991 that attracted media attention, Phil has said that his actions were those of an angry man. He believes he has changed considerably since then and no longer views the world in such rigid terms. According to Phil, becoming close-minded would mirror some of the behaviors he has spent years opposing. The children who remain in contact with him share a close relationship with him, and he has expressed the belief that, over time, the influence and authority that Gloriavale allegedly exercises over its members will gradually diminish.