Cult leader William Kamm and wife groomed young girl for a decade, Sydney court told
The trial of William Kamm, 76, leader of the Order of Saint Charbel, and his wife Sandra Susan Mathison, 60, began in Sydney's Downing Centre district court on Tuesday. They are accused of grooming a girl from ages six to 16, with Kamm also facing charges of inciting an indecent act and breaching supervision orders.
Prosecutors have alleged that religious cult leader William Kamm, known as "Little Pebble," and his wife Sandra Susan Mathison groomed a young girl over a decade with the aim of having her bear 45 of his children to repopulate a post-apocalyptic world. The trial, heard by a judge alone, started on Tuesday at Sydney's Downing Centre district court.
The girl, who cannot be legally identified, testified that even at age six she understood she was to become Kamm's wife. Crown prosecutor Andrew Norrie told the court that Kamm believed he needed 12 wives, called "queens," and other women referred to as "princesses," chosen by the Virgin Mary. These women were on a "mission from God" to become pregnant and repopulate society after natural disasters destroyed the world.
Initially, the girl was not allowed to speak directly to Kamm while he was in jail and instead used code words. Norrie told the court that when the girl was six, Kamm allegedly said during a call: "Hi, my darling, I can't wait to see you to start this beautiful mission together." At age seven, she agreed to be "spiritually married" to Kamm. Mathison allegedly said the girl could not be with other boys and must keep the "marriage" secret because the devil would try to stop it.
In October 2013, when the girl was nine, Kamm allegedly told her to put on her running shoes so he could chase her, and expressed a desire to lock her in a closet to keep her for himself. When the girl told Mathison she was uncomfortable, she was allegedly told Kamm had no dirty thoughts and was only doing God's will. The couple also made plans to take the girl on an international cruise after Kamm's release.
Kamm was released on parole in November 2014 and placed under supervision orders banning contact with females under 17. He allegedly breached this by phoning the girl. In December 2019, when she was 15, the complainant received a letter from Kamm saying Jesus predicted she would have 45 children. In March 2020, the teenager visited the order's property, where Mathison allegedly suggested she could receive Kamm's sperm in a cup to impregnate herself. Plans for her to meet Kamm in person were put on hold due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
Kamm and Mathison were arrested in September 2024. Kamm's barrister, David Mulligan, submitted that his client had never physically met the complainant. Dev Bhutani, representing Mathison, argued that the case against his client was "derivative" of the case against Kamm. The trial continues on Wednesday.
