Jonathan Benjamin at Greymouth District Court in November. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
A 58-year-old man has been found guilty of multiple historical sexual offences at Gloriavale.
The verdicts against Jonathan Benjamin, delivered in Greymouth District Court, relate to 11 charges of sexual offending against four people at the Christian community between 1986 and 2017.
Benjamin, who had already admitted similar charges against five others, will be sentenced on all the charges in March.
Detective Senior Sergeant Kirsten Norton praised the courage of complainants, saying police acknowledge the difficulty they faced in holding Benjamin to account for the harm he caused.
"We acknowledge the trauma these incidents would have had on not only each of the people who have been harmed, but also their family and community," Norton said.
"While we are pleased to now have a resolution in Court, we know that events like these have a lasting and long reaching impact on survivors of sexual abuse," she said.
"It is yet another significant step in the mission of many past and current members of the Gloriavale Christian Community to ensure that the current children of Gloriavale are safe from this type of harm now and in the future."
Norton also acknowledged all those who worked on the case, including support workers.
