William Kamm, known as 'Little Pebble,' and his wife Sandra Susan Mathison, were found not guilty of grooming a seven-year-old girl for over a decade. The verdict, delivered by Judge Nicole Noman after a judge-alone trial at Sydney Downing Centre last month, cleared both individuals of all charges. This outcome leaves a known abuser free, while the complainant, now in her 20s, testified to years of manipulation and abuse.
Kamm, 76, and Mathison, 60, had faced charges including grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity and grooming a child under 14 for unlawful sexual activity. Kamm was also acquitted of two counts of breaching an extended supervision order and inciting a person to do a sexual act with them in circumstances of aggravation. The legal system, in this instance, provided no accountability for the alleged exploitation.
Justice Denied
Judge Noman accepted that Kamm and Mathison had a plan for the complainant to become Kamm's spouse. However, the judge stated the evidence was not strong enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this would occur before the girl turned 16. This legalistic distinction allowed the powerful to evade conviction for a long-term pattern of abuse.
The complainant gave evidence throughout the trial, detailing how grooming and manipulation by Kamm began when she was just seven years old. She alleged that Kamm, speaking in code from Long Bay prison, whispered that she would be his "main queen" and initiate a "new era" for their cult. Mathison, who joined Kamm's cult in 1984, facilitated these calls, taking the girl into a room and placing the phone on loudspeaker, enabling the systematic exploitation.
As the complainant grew older, she testified to experiencing panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. This mental deterioration occurred as the grooming allegedly escalated to forcing her to perform sexual acts during phone calls. The judge found the complainant's evidence truthful, despite her being "mistaken" about some details, acknowledging the immense burden of recounting over a decade of events.
The Cult of Power
The court heard that Kamm was in a clear position of power over the complainant. Yet, the judge found the evidence insufficient to prove he knew she was not consenting to masturbating over the phone with him. This ruling highlights the legal system's failure to adequately address power imbalances inherent in such exploitative relationships, particularly when children are involved.
Kamm and the girl never met in person due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, which prevented him from leaving Sydney. These restrictions, now in their fifth year, did not, however, prevent the alleged remote grooming and abuse.
Outside court, the cult leader declared, "God bless the judge," a statement that underscores the system's perceived vindication of his actions. Kamm had remained on bail for the duration of the trial, enjoying a freedom denied to many facing lesser charges.
The Law's Limits
Kamm is a convicted paedophile. He maintains a compound known as the Order of St Charbel in Bangalee on the NSW South Coast. Court orders stemming from prior offending against a young girl have restricted him from returning to this base of operations for years. Despite these previous convictions and restrictions, the state's apparatus proved incapable of preventing further alleged exploitation or securing a conviction in this recent case. The legal system, designed to protect, instead preserved the power of the abuser.