A paedophile cult leader will remain behind bars after a court heard after he used his wife’s Facebook account to send a young female a handwritten note saying she had been “chosen” to be one of his “12 wives” and would “soon receive your first child”.
William Costellia-Kamm, the self-proclaimed leader of the “Order of Saint Charbel” who calls himself “Little Pebble”, was last year rearrested after allegedly breaching a supervision order slapped on him by the NSW Supreme Court.
The disgraced religious leader – who led his cult based on a property at West Cambewarra near Nowra – has served two jail stints for the aggravated sexual assault of teenage girls.
He was in 2005 convicted of the aggravated sexual assault of a then 15-year-old girl in 1993 and sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail
Then in 2007, he waxjmtzyws convicted of a further five counts of aggravated sexual assault against a teenage girl, who was 14 and 15 at the time of the offences in 1994 and 1995.
He was sentenced to a further 10 years in jail before he was released on parole in 2014.
Both of his victims were female followers who were told they would be among his 12 “queens” and 72 “princesses” who would help him repopulate a “royal dynasty” after the second coming of Jesus.
Among his other claims were that he could communicate with Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
Upon his release from prison, he was placed under a series of supervision orders, which controlled his movements, with the state arguing he was a high risk of reoffending.
The state was last year granted a three-year supervision order which is due to expire in April 2024.
The Supreme Court placed restrictions on him including that he be subject to electronic monitoring, provide a weekly schedule of his movements and that he not leave NSW.
He was banned from associating with any female who he knew to be under 17-years-old, including through online communications.
He was also barred from connecting or joining a social networking site without the approval of a Departmental Supervising Officer.
In November, he was back in custody after allegedly contacting teenage girls via social media, with the court hearing on Thursday that he allegedly used his wife’s Facebook account to send messages to the females.
The 71-year-old was charged with four counts of failing to comply with a supervision order.
He on Thursday applied to the NSW Supreme Court to be released on bail while he answers the charges, which carry a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison.
The court heard that when police conducted an inspection of his residence, they found an iPad which he allegedly used to access Facebook .
His barrister Ian McLachlan attacked the strength of the crown case, saying that when police asked him to open the app, Costellia-Kamm was unable to unlock it using his fingerprint and claimed he did not know the password.
However, Justice Stephen Rothman noted he could have feigned being unable to access the program.
Mr McLachlan argued the charges were “vague and ambiguous” and “we don’t know who is at the other end”.
According to one of the charges, he is alleged to have sent a message to a girl from the Philippines, the court heard.
Another relates to a handwritten letter, allegedly penned by Costellia-Kamm, which was photographed and sent to a woman using Facebook Messenger.
The court heard the letter allegedly read: “My beloved daughter Pearl, of my sacred heart.
“I have chosen you as one of the 12 wives of Little Abraham who will soon be Peter The Second of the Holy Mother Church.
“You are very special and will soon receive your first child to prepare you for your role as mother and Queen.”
Justice Rothman said the allegation “fits directly” with the crimes for which Costellia-Kamm was jailed.
“If, as is alleged, (the letter) was written by the applicant, it shows that the applicant is continuing to groom and or involve people in a religious sect which, on its face, one could infer, involves sexual conduct,” Justice Rothman said.
“That is, I’m sending you a son.”
Justice Rothman said it was a “serious issue” and denied his bail application.
