The leader of a religious cult and his wife allegedly groomed a young girl over a decade, intending for her to bear 45 of his children in a post-apocalyptic world, a Sydney court has heard.
Allegations of grooming and a mission from God
William Kamm, 76, known as 'Little Pebble', led the Order of Saint Charbel, a cult based on the New South Wales south coast. He considered himself a pope, visionary, and prophet who relayed messages from Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary to his followers. Along with his wife, Sandra Susan Mathison, 60, he faces a judge-alone trial at Sydney's Downing Centre district court, which began on Tuesday. Both have pleaded not guilty to jointly grooming the girl between 2010 and 2020, from when she was six until she turned 16. Kamm also denies inciting the girl to commit an indecent act and twice breaching extended supervision orders by contacting her.
The woman, who cannot be legally identified, testified that she understood she was to be Kamm's wife even as a young child. 'His role was to try to get us to do God's will,' she said.
Plans for repopulation after natural disasters
Crown prosecutor Andrew Norrie told the court that Kamm had ordered he should have 12 wives, called 'queens', and other women known as 'princesses', chosen by the Virgin Mary. These women were on a 'mission from God' to become impregnated and repopulate a new era of society after natural disasters destroyed the world, leaving Kamm and his followers behind. Initially, the girl was not allowed to speak to Kamm directly by phone as he was in jail; instead, they used code words. 'Hi, my darling, I can't wait to see you to start this beautiful mission together,' Kamm allegedly said during a call when she was six. At age seven, she agreed to be 'spiritually married' to Kamm, Norrie said. Mathison allegedly told her she could not be with other boys and had to keep her 'marriage' a secret because the devil would try to stop it.
During a call in October 2013, Kamm allegedly told the then nine-year-old to put on her running shoes so he could chase her. He also said he wanted 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 pair also planned to take the girl on an international cruise after Kamm's release from jail, Norrie said.
Breach of supervision orders and arrest
Kamm was released on parole in November 2014 and placed under supervision orders barring him from contacting females under 17. He allegedly breached this order by talking to the girl over the phone. When she was 15 in December 2019, she allegedly received a letter from Kamm saying Jesus predicted she would have 45 children. In March 2020, the then-teenager visited the order's property, where Mathison allegedly told her she could receive Kamm's sperm in a cup to impregnate herself. Around that time, plans for her to meet Kamm in person were put on hold due to Australia's Covid-19 lockdown. Kamm and Mathison were arrested in September 2024.
Kamm's barrister, David Mulligan, noted that his client had never physically met the complainant. Dev Bhutani, representing Mathison, argued that the crown case against his client was 'derivative' of the case against Kamm. The trial continues on Wednesday.
