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. Judge Nicole Noman delivered the verdict after a judge-alone trial at Sydney Downing Centre last month, clearing the pair of all charges. This outcome leaves a convicted paedophile free from new convictions, despite the court acknowledging a plan for the child to become his spouse.
Kamm, 76, and Mathison, 60, faced charges including grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity and grooming a child under 14 for unlawful sexual activity. Kamm also faced two counts of breaching an extended supervision order and inciting a person to do a sexual act with them in circumstances of aggravation. He was cleared of these charges too. The judge accepted the account that Kamm and Mathison had a plan for the complainant to become Kamm's spouse. However, she stated the evidence wasn't strong enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt this would occur before the girl turned 16. This legal technicality proved decisive.
The System's Verdict
The complainant, now in her 20s, testified throughout the trial, detailing alleged grooming and manipulation by Mr. Kamm beginning when she was just seven years old. She recounted how Kamm, from Long Bay prison, allegedly whispered in code through recorded calls. He spoke of her becoming his "main queen" and initiating a "new era" for their cult. Mathison, who joined Kamm's cult in 1984, facilitated these calls, taking the girl into a room and putting the phone on loudspeaker.
Judge Noman found the complainant's evidence truthful, acknowledging her unenviable position of recounting more than a decade's worth of events. Yet, she also noted the complainant was "mistaken" about some details. As the complainant matured, she testified to experiencing panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. These mental health crises allegedly escalated as the grooming progressed to forcing her to perform sexual acts during phone calls. The court heard these disturbing details.
Despite Kamm being in a clear position of power over the complainant, the judge found insufficient evidence to prove he knew she wasn't consenting to masturbating over the phone with him. This legal standard, "beyond a reasonable doubt," often shields those in power. Kamm and the girl never met in person, a circumstance attributed to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, now in their fifth year.
A Pattern of Acquittal
Outside the court, the cult leader offered a simple, chilling statement: "God bless the judge." Kamm had been on bail for the entire duration of the trial. This outcome allows a man with a documented history of such behavior to walk free from these new accusations.
The article confirms Kamm is a convicted paedophile. He maintains a compound known as the Order of St Charbel in Bangalee on the NSW South Coast. Previous court orders, stemming from prior offending against another young girl, have restricted him from returning to this compound for years. The system, it seems, struggles to contain him. The repeated failures to secure convictions or enforce restrictions raise serious questions about the protection offered to the most vulnerable within our communities.