Religions > Atheism > OT: a one-man megaphone for Christian indignation now a convicted child molester
| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"stoney" |
| Date: |
05 Apr 2005 04:06:12 PM |
| Object: |
OT: a one-man megaphone for Christian indignation now a convicted child molester |
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3235224a10,00.html
Capill's day of shame
02 April 2005
By TRACY WATKINS and NZPA
He was a one-man megaphone for Christian indignation for more than a
decade. Now Graham Capill stands disgraced, a convicted child
molester.
His downfall has shocked former colleagues and dealt a potentially
fatal blow to Christian Heritage, the political party he led for 13
years.
In Christchurch District Court yesterday, the 46-year-old father of 10
admitted a charge of indecent assault for fondling an eight-year-old
girl's genitals.
Eyes down and fighting back tears, he clutched not a Bible but a small
black diary as he stood in the dock.
Security was tight, after he was assaulted outside court last week.
A name suppression order was lifted.
Daniel Andrew McNally has been charged with last week's attack.
Capill's wife, Judy, has chosen to support him through his
difficulties, sources have confirmed.
The offending took place in the year before November 4, 2002, when he
was the family-friendly face of the Christian Heritage Party.
Police have confirmed that they were alerted to the abuse through an
agency, which they refuse to name, in February.
When they questioned him, Capill declined to comment.
But yesterday he pleaded guilty to one representative charge of
indecently assaulting a female aged under 12, an offence that carries
a maximum 10 years in jail.
He was remanded on bail till May 20 for sentencing.
As Christian Heritage Party leader, Capill touted himself as the moral
conscience of the nation.
He publicly decried dead gay artists Keith Haring and Robert
Mapplethorpe; said a Maori statue with an erect penis was obscene; and
launched a moral crusade against the "blasphemous" Virgin in a Condom
display at Te Papa.
He also railed against the Family Planning Association and threatened
to take Prime Minister Helen Clark to court over "paintergate".
His former associates are shocked. "A lot of people put a lot of
effort into the cause of Christian family values in politics over the
last decade and I'm sure they will be absolutely devastated by this,"
said Ewen McQueen, who replaced Mr Capill as Christian Heritage
leader.
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, who ran as a Christian Heritage candidate, said
she had liked Capill as a person, but they had fallen out over his
"superior attitude".
Others had told her, however, that they found "something about him
off-putting. They told me he was sleazy, they didn't think he was on
the up and up.
"I guess I wasn't the best judge of character."
Capill, now a police prosecutor, was suspended from duty last month.
Police refused to comment further about his employment status but
confirmed yesterday that Capill had not offered his resignation.
He was employed by Christchurch police in their communications centre
in 2003, the year he resigned as leader of Christian Heritage. He
became a police prosecutor last year.
His lawyer, Jonathan Eaton, said his prompt guilty plea reflected his
deep shame and heartfelt regret for the harm he had caused to his
family and others.
The complainant, who was eight at the time, told police that Capill
had stroked her genitals on more than one occasion by placing his
hands inside her garments and underwear.
Asked how many times she had been touched in this way, she told police
"three or four times, maybe less", according to a summary of facts.
Now 11, the girl said the fondling usually occurred during the
weekend. It would often last for a few minutes and end without Capill
saying a word to her.
'THIS IS VERY MUCH A TERRIBLE BETRAYAL'
Distraught Christian Heritage New Zealand leader Ewen McQueen says it
is too early to talk about forgiving his one-time political mentor
Graham Capill.
"When news breaks like this, you don't normally go straight to talking
about forgiveness. Those things come down the track a little bit. At
the moment I think most people will be quite shocked, and there will
be a lot of angry people too, I'm sure."
New Zealanders were entitled to have high expectations of their
leaders, "especially those who profess the Christian faith", Mr
McQueen said. "This is very much a terrible betrayal."
He said Capill quit the party six months ago in anger at its direction
under the new leadership.
"It's certainly undermined everything Graham's ever said and, yes, to
some degree, that does wash off on the rest of the party as well.
"My main concern at the moment is not for the party, though, but the
victim...who's been damaged by this and also the Christian Church in
New Zealand, because this has just really sullied that reputation and
I think that's what hurts the most."
--
Contempt of Congress meter reading-offscale.
Hello, theocracy with a fundamentalist US Supreme
Court who will ensure church and state are joined
at the hip like clergy and altar boys.
America 1776-Jan 2001 RIP
Religion is the original war crime.
-Michelle Malkin (Feb 26, 2005)
.
|
|
| User: "Just Mark" |
|
| Title: Re: OT: a one-man megaphone for Christian indignation now a convicted child molester |
05 Apr 2005 04:45:04 PM |
|
|
stoney wrote:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3235224a10,00.html
"Reaction Formation" - the favorite defense mechanism of fundies
worldwide.
Just Mark
.
|
|
|
| User: "Walter Bushell" |
|
| Title: Re: OT: a one-man megaphone for Christian indignation now a convicted child molester |
14 Apr 2005 04:25:02 PM |
|
|
In article <1112719504.695534.327170@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>,
"Just Mark" <neverassumeyouknow@yahoo.com> wrote:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3235224a10,00.html
Perhaps the nastiest of the defense mechanisms.
--
Guns don't kill people; automobiles kill people.
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
