Second man linked to 2×2 religious cult ‘The Truth’ accused of sex crimes

On By Pranco

This story discusses details of sexual abuse.

William Stephen Easton, better known as Bill Easton, today appeared in the Kaikohe District Court on 55 landmark charges of child sexual abuse. Easton, from Kerikeri, was a former minister in a secretive sect known as the Two by Twos.

William Stephen Easton, better known as Bill Easton, today appeared in the Kaikohe District Court on 55 landmark charges of child sexual abuse. Easton, from Kerikeri, was a former minister in a secretive sect known as the Two by Twos.
Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf

Police have charged another man linked to a secret cult with historic sex crimes against multiple victims who were young boys at the time.

An 80-year-old man appeared in the Whangārei District Court on Friday facing a series of charges, including sodomy and bestiality, spanning almost two decades.

He pleaded not guilty and has interim name suppression until his next court appearance in February.

The four complainants were between twelve and fifteen years old at the time of the alleged offense, in the 1970s and 1980s.

The man is charged with twelve counts of indecent assault against a boy between the ages of 12 and 16, two counts of a boy between the ages of 12 and 16, one count of sodomy against a person under the age of 16 and one count of bestiality .

He was part of a religious group known as the Two by Twos of The Truth, which is under investigation by the FBI for historical child sex abuse.

Former members warn that it is a very controlling and isolated group, with many unwritten rules.

The Christian sect has about 2,500 members and 60 ministers in New Zealand, is not registered as a charity and has no official name or church buildings.

A hallmark of the group is that the itinerant ministers travel in pairs and stay in the homes of members.

The arrest follows the conviction of Kerikeri man Bill Easton pleaded guilty to sex crimes against boys over three decades while he was part of the cult.

Easton was a former pastor of the sect. He will be sentenced on December 6.

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