Howard Temple in court today. Photo: The Press/Kai Schwoerer
A climate of fear in Gloriavale prevented a victim from reporting sexual abuse suffered at the hands of the community's 85-year-old leader, a court has heard.
Howard Temple - Gloriavale's Overseeing Shepherd - is on trial at the Greymouth District Court on two dozen charges of sexual offending against girls and young women over more than two decades.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The first of nine complainants gave evidence this morning.
The former Gloriavale member, who has name suppression, told the court she was too scared to tell anyone of the repeated indecent touching she suffered.
Temple had the power to change the trajectory of her life within the community, she said.
Defence lawyer Michael Vesty told the court the 85-year-old accepted some of the incidents could have occurred, but he denied they were indecent.
They were gestures of gratitude and support that were acceptable conduct in the day-to-day life of the community, Vesty said.
Temple would often acknowledge the young women's work in the dining hall or kitchen with an "affectionate hug", he said.
The court watched a video of the woman's police interview before she took the stand.
She told police she had not told anyone of the alleged touching, groping, hugging and harassment because she feared being blamed.
The woman, who was born at Gloriavale and left in her 20s, said women were always considered to be at fault in similar situations.
"The man's wife would be at fault because she wasn't doing the right things to keep her husband's eyes only on her and the girl who had been abused was also at fault because she had obviously tempted the man in a way that made him feel like he could do those things to her," she said.
Not tying the belt on the uniform in the correct type of bow, pulling up your sleeves, wearing ankle socks or showing too much hair under a headscarf could all be considered attempts to attract a man.
Telling anyone about the assaults risked being branded a flirt or worse, she said.
Leadership and the rest of the community could shame the girls or they could be isolated, which "happened to a lot of girls", the woman said.
"Ultimately maybe if the offences were grave enough, I would never get married, and at Gloriavale that's a pretty severe punishment."
She recounted Temple grabbing her, rubbing her legs or pulling her to him in the dining room while she was serving food or drinks.
She said she was sure others had noticed but had not intervened.
"In addition to being scared to say anything, I thought something was maybe wrong with me for not liking it," the woman said.
Vesty cross-examined the complainant this afternoon.
He focused on letters Temple sent to the woman when she was a teenager, during periods the community's leader spent in India setting up a Christian community and orphanage, which he said reflected well-meaning interest in the young woman from a pastoral perspective.
Vesty accused the woman of embellishing a comment Temple was alleged to have made to her weeks after her marriage asking about her sex life.
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