Wednesday 17 December 2008

Cult Leader Wayne Bent Found Guilty

The full article can be found on Religion News Blog. The first part can be found below.

Leader of apocalyptic sect found guilty

TAOS, N.M. (AP) - Jurors in Taos on Monday convicted the leader of an apocalyptic northeastern New Mexico sect on one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Jurors deliberated for more than five hours Friday without reaching a verdict in the charges against Wayne Bent, and state District Judge Gerald Baca sent them home for the weekend.

Bent, leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church, faced two counts each of criminal sexual contact of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in allegations involving 14 and 16-year old sisters in 2006.

Prosecutor Emilio Chavez told jurors the case was not about religion and that Bent must be treated like anyone else.

Friday 5 December 2008

Two UK-based cult leaders arrested

Lee Thompson, a cult leader in the North East of England, was recently arrested for forcing a lover to sleep with other men. This has been quite widely reported on. There is a good article inThe Norton Echo. I have put some of the article here in case you're interested.

A CULT leader who took his sex slaves for walks on a lead in a North-East town has been jailed for three years for forcing a lover to sleep with other men.

Lee Thompson had such a dominating influence over the woman that she did whatever he told her to – even though she did not want to, Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday.

The self-proclaimed pagan faith teacher and self-styled sex-master – charged under an alias, Harrington – was caught after his exploits were revealed by The Northern Echo.

His former girlfriend read about his sex cult in Darlington two years ago and contacted police about her time with the fantasist some years earlier.

During his time with the lover, Thompson told her his grandmother, from Blyth, Northumberland, was a high priestess and had passed on her powers to him.

After moving around the UK and settling in Darlington, he took up the Kaotian way of life – based on Sixties sci-fi novels, in which men dominate women and treat them as slaves.

His home in Forster Street was investigated by police in May 2006 when the cult was uncovered, but Thompson made out that no one in his master-slave relationships was harmed.

The cult came to light after complaints that he led a female slave around the town centre on a lead – and they were banned from their favourite butchers stall because of their behaviour.

There have also been scattered reports that Mehdi Zand, leader of the secretive World of Yadd cult, has also been arrested with a number of his followers after an incident at a restaurant in Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire. There seem to be a few blogs following the these developments, and there have also been some articles in the Watford Observer and Ealing Times. One of the articles can be found here:

Four men have been arrested after a violent burglary at a Rickmansworth restaurant. Police have appealed for information in connection with an incident at the Blue Fire Restaurant, in Moneyhill Parade, yesterday afternoon.

It is believed that intruders forced their way into the property at around 5pm, where two men sustained serious injuries and were rushed to hospital.

Francesco Zand, 36, Mohammed Kashefi, 48, and Mehdi Zand, 47, all of Tower Hill, Chipperfield, will appear with Hamid Mokaram-Afshari, 50, of Northolt, in front of magistrates this morning.

A 47-year-old woman, also from Chipperfield, was also arrested and has been bailed.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Brown, from Watford CID, said: “This was a violent attack in which two men have sustained serious injuries.

“It took place during rush hour and I am appealing to anyone who may have seen or witnessed the incident or have any information at all to come forward."

Anyone with information can contact DS Brown on 01923 472494, or alternatively Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.