Police lay fresh sexual assault charges against former Destiny Church disciple, new complainant comes forward

The accused man appeared in the Manukau District Court last month on sexual abuse charges linked to three teenage boys. Photo / Jason Oxenham

A former Destiny Church disciple accused of sexually abusing teenage boys is facing fresh charges after a new complainant came forward to police.

A 29-year-old man was arrested last month and charged with six counts of indecent assault relating to alleged offending involving two alleged victims from a South Auckland youth group.

The offending is alleged to have spanned several years, dating back to 2020.

The man first appeared in Manukau District Court on June 12 where he was granted bail and interim suppression.

The Herald can reveal that eight additional indecent assault charges were laid against the man on June 24.

He now faces 14 charges in total.

In a statement, police said further charges against the man could not be ruled out.

“All three victims were teenagers at the time of the alleged offending.

“Given charges have now been laid, we are limited in providing further comment on this case.

“Police are still making inquiries including speaking with other individuals and as such further charges cannot be ruled out.”

The man is due to reappear in court later this year.

The Herald on Sunday revealed in May that a Destiny Church disciple had been stood down and a police investigation launched into allegations the man sexually abused youths in his care.

Police said the alleged offending involved a Destiny Church youth group in South Auckland.

The man was a longstanding Destiny member. His Facebook page is littered with photos of church events, many involving teenagers.

The Herald understands he was suspended from his volunteer role and banned from the church after his alleged offending was reported to police in November last year.

In a statement following the man’s arrest last month, Detective Inspector Natalie Nelson, Counties Manukau CIB, said charges had been laid “as part of an ongoing investigation into historical sexual assault allegations”.

They dated back to at least 2020 and involved “an individual connected to a youth group”.

“We continue to encourage anyone who has matters they need to raise with police to come forward. Any complaints will be treated in confidence and police will ensure support services are made available.”

In a statement yesterday, a Destiny Church spokeswoman said: “This is now a matter for the courts and the police, therefore all queries need to be directed to them.

“We have no further comment to make, and will not be making any future comments on this case.”

Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has criticised police, accusing them of "incompetence" in dealing with sexual offences. Photo / Alex Burton

However, Destiny leader Brian Tamaki has lashed out at police on social media.

“I am glad the police have finally arrested this [alleged] offender,” Tamaki wrote on Facebook last month.

“It’s only taken them eight months since we notified them in November 2023 of this [alleged] offender and encouraged the victims to talk to the police. Why did the police not act immediately?”

He accused police of “incompetence” in dealing with sexual offences, saying the accused abuser had been attending other churches during the months-long police investigation.

“We hold the police responsible.

“This [alleged] offender should not have been in circulation in our communities all this time,” Tamaki wrote.

In response, a police spokeswoman said: “Police have put someone before the court and as the matter is now before the court, we have nothing further to add.”

Lane Nichols is a senior journalist and deputy head of news based in Auckland. Before joining the Herald in 2012, he spent a decade at Wellington’s Dominion Post and the Nelson Mail.