This week Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame began an inquest in the Greymouth District Court to determine whether Standtrue took his own life or died accidentally.
The Coroner will hear evidence from Sincere's parents who live at Gloriavale and his sister who has left the secretive Christian community.
The inquest will run in two phases - this week and then another 10 days in August.
More than 50 witnesses will be called to give evidence about Standtrue’s life and death and how he found life at Gloriavale.
Today his younger sister Rose Standtrue told the Coroner that her brother had disclosed “most of the boys in his grade bullied him” - and she had seen him getting teased, mocked, belittled and treated unfairly his whole life.
Even in his death, Rose said Standtrue was shamed.
She was in the hospital with him when he passed away - but heard later that at the community an elder announced the death in the dining hall, saying Standtrue was now in heaven.
Many people then began to debate whether that was true.
“We were taught that if you kill yourself you go to hell,” Rose said.
“Even at the funeral… we were told we couldn’t say he was in heaven because he was a suicide and he was in hell.
She and Pearl Valor, Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Crystal Loyal and Virginia Courage said they were effectively born into and kept in “servitude” - which is illegal in New Zealand - forced to work long days with no breaks and very little food or water.
She was back in court today to share what she knew of her brother’s life - and death.
Standtrue was the oldest of 10 children and Rose was born just 18 months after him.
“We were always very close, and I miss him a lot,” she said.
“Sincere was a gentle person, he was nice to everyone. Sincere was always looking our for me he would try to protect me and help me.”
Rose said Standtrue was shy and wasn’t good at expressing himself and “couldn’t connect with people very well”.
“He told me most of the boys in his grade bullied him... he told me he didn’t have many friends,” she said.
“Sometimes little kids would call him names heard from the older boys, like Sinful Salami. He didn’t talk to anyone, he didn’t trust anyone... he would cringe if people came too close.”
“Because he was deaf he wouldn’t hear Hopeful. The other boys would stop immediately but Sincere would only hear when Hopeful came right up and yelled.
“Hopeful really had it in for Sincere.”
She said that “shamed” her brother.
“Mum sewed his pockets up... Sincere threw the sewing machine out of the window... he got yelled at. News went around the community... and people would tease him,” Rose recalled.
Sincere was 20 when he died.
She said her brother was “put out” of school numerous times for this behaviour and hauled into meetings with Gloriavale leaders “because of his temper”.
“They told him he was rebellious... he would be crying after the meetings and say ‘I’m trying so hard’,” she said.
“He would take his hearing aids out and then he got in trouble for not listening.
“He told me that boys would hurt him in the toilets - he didn’t say what they did. I know that sometimes they would shut him in hold the door shut so he couldn’t get out.
“Some of them would walk past and flick him on the ear.”
Rose Standtrue - bottom left - and the other former Gloriavale women who took the community to the employment court for a ruling that they were employees, not volunteers during their time there. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Rose remembered her brother being put out when he bit a girl at a school. After being teased he got angry and lashed out at “the closest person to him”.
“He got into trouble... at home, mum and dad were angry and upset with him. It reflected badly on them and meant they were bad parents. Being put out was a form of disgrace,” she said.
“Being in disgrace would just make someone feel so much shame - it was all about shaming someone to make them stay in submission. Being shamed draws attention to you… it also puts disgrace on your family.”
Rose said her brother was not very coordinated and that meant he was not good at physical games or sport - another reason he was teased.
Gloriavale leaders prevented Standtrue from getting his licence, and when he was allowed to use the farm bikes he was only allowed to drive slowly which embarrassed him.
He tried to make his commitment to the community - effectively a contract to keep serving Gloriavale as an adult - but failed a number of times.
He was told he was too angry, and not a good Christian.
“He tried so hard to be a good Christian... but he was never good enough,” said Rose.
“He felt it was unjust... He was always asking when he could make his commitment and he still had not when he died.
“They just woundn’t treat him as an adult - they treated him as a child.”
Rose said her brother was desperate to be treated the same as his peers but was constantly excluded and overlooked.
He wanted to get married and have a family but that was blocked too.
“You have to sign the commitment first,” said Rose.
“(The leaders) told him if he couldn’t control his anger he wasn’t capable of being the head of a household. He wanted to be a good dad, he wanted to overcome his anger.
“He was looked down on already - and this just added to it. Single girls didn’t want to marry him because of rumours about his anger.
“Had the leadership all loved him it would have been different.”
Gloriavale founder and leader Neville Cooper aka Hopeful Christian. He is a convicted sex offender. Photo / TVNZ
After he was turned down a third time the leaders ordered Standtrue to leave his family room and live in “the men’s room”.
That was where all of the single men lived - those who had left their wives on the outside to come and join Gloriavale, or those whose wives had fled and left them.
“To live in men’s room was seen as disgrace,” said Rose.
“This was two months before his death... he could still visit us but this was limited.
“He said there was no privacy... (an older man) was constantly preaching at him.”
Rose said her brother was “so smart” but struggled putting things down on paper, which his teachers thought was a lack of effort.
Now living in the outside world and having more experience, she now thinks Standtrue could have had autism.
“But he was never given the opportunity to be diagnosed,” she said.
She said her brother never complained to her about life at Gloriavale overall.
“It was normal to us and the only thing we knew... (At Gloriavale) you were strongly discouraged from having your own will or doing what you want to do.
“We were raised to submit to the leaders and be in unity with the church.”
Whether he was bullied and or physically “disciplined”
Whether he had been subject to harmful sexual behaviour at Gloriavale and if that influenced his actions on the day he died
Whether the 20-year-old was satisfied with how his life was progressing
How well Standtrue coped with the set-up in the community
Whether there were any other factors in Standtrue’s life that might have caused him to wish to end his life
Coroner Cunninghame will consider whether the death was a suicide, with Standtrue acting deliberately to end his own life, or whether he died in different circumstances.
Situations she will have to consider include:
Did Standtrue have any developmental delay or other conditions such that he was incapable of forming intent, or unable to understand the consequences of his actions?
Did he accidentally kill himself in carrying out the activity practised by some within the community?
Was toxin exposure the cause or a cause of death given he was in the paint shop?
And if so, was the exposure to the toxin accidental or deliberate?
On Monday she paid tribute to Standtrue and reminded those in court that he was the reason for the court process.
She urged parties to remember that all New Zealanders “are free to practice their chosen religion” and while evidence would be given about what life was like at Gloriavale and while she may make findings about Standtrue’s life there - issues of “whether aspects of life at Gloriavale fall outside the law of Aotearoa are not for this court”.
“I’m mindful that the difference in opinion about the way of life at Gloriavale has led to families including Sincere’s experiencing division, and that this may add a layer of emotional weight,” she said.
“Everyone in this court will treat each other with respect.”
After determining how and why Standtrue died the Coroner will consider whether there are any comments or recommendations she could make that will reduce the chances of future deaths in similar circumstances.
Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years with a particular focus on family violence, child abuse, sexual violence and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz
