A former member of Destiny Church has been charged with additional counts of sexual abuse following new allegations.
The 29-year-old man was initially arrested last month on six counts of indecent assault involving two teenage boys from a South Auckland youth group, with alleged offenses dating back to 2020.
According to a report in legacy media, after his first court appearance on June 12, he was granted bail and interim suppression. Subsequently, eight more charges were added on June 24, bringing the total to 14. Police said that further charges cannot be ruled out as their investigation continues, involving inquiries with other individuals.
The man, a long-time member, was suspended from his volunteer role and banned from the church after the allegations were reported to police in November last year.
Destiny leader Brian Tamaki has criticised police for their handling of the case, accusing them of incompetence and delayed action. Tamaki has also publicly expressed frustration over the accused’s continued presence in the community during the investigation.
Counterspin has done a bit on this abomination