Second Northland Two by Twos member charged with sex offences to stand trial next year

A hearing to determine if an 80-year-old man linked to the Two by Twos can be named will be held at Whangārei District Court in August. Photo / RNZ, Nate McKinnon

By Amy Williams of RNZ

A second Northland man linked to a secretive sect known as the Two by Twos will stand trial for sex offences in November next year, in Whangārei.

The 80-year-old faces 12 charges of indecent assault, two of performing an indecent act, and one each of sodomy and bestiality.

The four complainants were boys aged between 12 and 16 when the alleged incidents occurred in the 1970s and 80s.

A hearing to determine if the man can be named will be held at Whangārei District Court, in August.

In December, Kerikeri man Bill Easton, a former minister in the sect, was sentenced to 13 years’ jail after pleading guilty to sex offences against boys.

A hallmark of the Christian sect, which has no official name but is known as The Truth or the Two by Twos, is that its itinerant ministers travel in pairs and stay in members’ homes.

It is believed to have about 2500 members and 60 ministers in New Zealand.

The group is also under investigation by the FBI for alleged historical child sexual abuse - last month, police confirmed 29 New Zealand-based people were identified as potential complainants through the US agency’s probe.

Police said offenders had been convicted in two of those cases.

They would not say whether the alleged abuse was recent or historic, or where in New Zealand it was said to have happened.

“Police have commenced several investigations as a result,” a spokesperson said.

This week, police said the investigation remains ongoing, and there are no further updates.

“These investigations can often take some time, and as such, we are not anticipating any updates in the next couple of months.”

- RNZ