Young Gloriavale man died in accidental ‘blacking out’, coroner rules
A 20-year-old Gloriavale man died after an accidental blackout, with brain damage from workplace toxins preventing his recovery, a coroner has found.
Sincere Standtrue died in Christchurch Hospital on November 2, 2018, nine days after being found unresponsive in the community’s paint shop.
In findings released on Friday, Coroner Alexandra Cunningham said brain damage – confirmed by a CT scan and found to be caused by exposure to solvents – was a factor in his death.
She said while hazardous substances were not stored or used safely at the paintshop, she could not rule out intentional inhalation. WorkSafe did not investigate after a Gloriavale leader told the agency Standtrue had become very taken with the idea he could black himself out and start breathing again.
“The evidence is clear that Sincere was aware of and interested in blacking out… While some adults had told Sincere that blacking himself out was silly and dangerous, it does not appear that the true dangers of the activity were explained to him,” the coroner said.
She suppressed specific details about the self-induced asphyxiation, but said there was no evidence it occurred in the course of sexual activity. She had heard evidence about a “normalised” practice of young Gloriavale men blacking each other out for sexual purposes, and about a widespread practice taught to parents to manage babies’ behaviour by holding hands over their nose and mouth to black them out.
Standtrue had spoken to others about blacking out, expressing a belief that it was harmless.
The coroner heard evidence that young people at Gloriavale, in particular school-aged boys, played blacking out games, though she wanted to avoid using the word “game” because it was a very unsafe practice.
The coroner’s findings also reveal publicly that other theories for Standtrue’s death were raised by his sister Rose’s lawyer, Brian Henry: culpable homocide by a hazing ritual gone wrong, or an exorcism.
The coroner said no evidence of exorcisms or hazing was ever presented to her and she was unwilling to find that five witnesses, supported by community leaders, gave false statements to police.
The inquest heard Standtrue was bullied, hit with a pipe, and experienced unwanted sexual advances from other young men, but the coroner said she found no evidence he was severely bullied, or was suicidal. Current community members told her Standtrue’s life was easy and happy.
She was satisfied the Ministry of Education was taking steps to implement recommendations made by Coroner Alexander Ho in 2023 to educate against self induced asphyxiation.
She recommended Gloriavale educate its young people on the dangers of blacking out, ensure all solvents were kept in a secured place, and educate those working with them on safety standards, which the community told her it was happy to comply with.
The coroner noted Standtrue loved reading, particularly books about history and disasters, liked doing puzzles, was interested in dinosaurs, and liked to sing.
He was given the name Ariel at birth, meaning “Lion of God”, but it was changed to Sincere at the leaders’ direction.
“I saw how he showed courage, a trait associated with the lion, in his determination to overcome a sense that he was not a good student by producing meaningful work in the painting team, and to find moments of joy in his days, through singing, laughing, and interacting with others, especially younger children.
“Traits of his second name also shone through in his honest nature, and his lack of pretence,” she said.
Standtrue’s parents, Caleb and Hannah, said the coroner’s professionalism and empathy “made a difficult process more bearable”. “We are grateful for her role in helping us find closure during this difficult time.”
Rose Standtrue said her brother was a kind and loving person, who was missed every day.
She said the coroner overlooked how religious doctrine dictated every aspect of life at Gloriavale, and she believed police made decisions that compromised the collection of evidence and hindered the pursuit of justice.
A WorkSafe spokesperson said the agency’s initial inquiries determined the death was not work-related, so an investigation was not opened.
“WorkSafe’s observations of the site both before and after the death have consistently verified that work was not taking place in the area.”
Police have been approached for comment.