Jehovah's Witness jailed for grooming and abusing boy

by betterdaze 22 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  betterdaze

  19 October 2010 Last updated at 09:16 ET

  Jehovah's Witness jailed for grooming and abusing boy

  Gold was put on the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life

  A Jehovah's Witness who groomed and sexually abused a boy has been jailed for six years and eight months.

  Thomas Gold, 45, of Alloa, Clackmannanshire, was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh.

  He previously admitted committing indecency at a house in Tullibody between November 1996, when the boy was seven years old, and November in 2003.

  Unemployed Gold took the boy canvassing for the Jehovah's Witnesses and to the Kingdom Hall.

  When he became a teenager, the victim told elders at his church about the abuse.

  Advocate depute Alison Di Rollo said the church leaders told Gold his behaviour was wrong and warned that if it continued he would be "disfellowshipped", or expelled, because the church disapproved of homosexual behaviour.

  They also tried to persuade Gold to go to the police.

  'Systematically groomed'

  The judge, Lord Bannatyne, said it was clear Gold's criminal conduct had "a considerable impact" on the victim.

  He said that a background report on Gold had described him as having "systematically groomed" the youngster in order to sexually abuse him.

  Defence solicitor advocate Brian Gilfedder said: "As far as the offence is concerned it is very difficult for me to stand here and say anything that could be described as mitigation.

  "The accused is well aware and has been well aware that this was wrong. It is accepted by him that a sentence of imprisonment is inevitable."

  Gold was placed on the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life and given a supervision for 40 months after his prison sentence.
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  fokyc

  They also tried to persuade Gold to go to the police.

  If it had been our local cong;

  the elders would have reported the matter to the police immediately,

  by telephone and identifying themselves as JW elders.
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  truthseekeriam

  Jehovah's Witness Jailed for Child Abuse in UK

  October 19, 2010 10:39 AM EDT (Updated: October 19, 2010 11:01 AM EDT)

  views: 189 | 4 people recommend this | comments: 7

  A 45-year-old UK man has been sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh for sexually abusing a boy.

  Thomas Gold has admitted to committing the abuse between November 1996 and November 2003.

  The child was 7 years old at the time the abuse started, abuse which continued until he alerted his congregation leaders as a teenager.

  Gold, who was unemployed, would take the child out in the door to door preaching of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

  Instead of alerting authorities of the abuse the leaders of the church informed Gold that his wrong behavior must stop or they would expel him from the congregation.

  Interestingly enough, the "wrong behavior" according to church leaders, wasn't that he was molesting a child, but instead his homosexual acts were the issue since the child is a male.

  An article at the BBC states the leaders did attempt to persuade Gold to go to the police.

  Lord Bannatyne, the judge for the case, spoke of how Gold's criminal conduct placed a "considerable impact" on the victim, and added how the background report on Gold shows he "systematically groomed" the child so he could sexually abuse him.

  Gold has been placed on a sex offender’s register where he will remain for the rest of his life. He has been sentenced to serve six years and eight months in prison followed by a 40-month supervision.

  This abuse leaves emotional scars which often do not heal, and it is sad to know how so many children are victimized. What is even more disheartening is when we hear about such cases where a trusted member of the community or church member has preyed upon our young people.

  This is not the first time the Jehovah's Witnesses, or other religions, have come up in a negative light in regards to sexual abuse. Many feel the Jehovah’s Witness religion tries to cover up such allegations since they are not always reported.

  Although the church leaders did urge this man to go to the police with his crimes, why not alert the authorities themselves to protect the boy?

  Should the congregation be responsible to report such allegations, or is it up to the family to make such reports?
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  truthseekeriam

  Okay, this one makes me really sick!! Why wasn't the creep disfellowshipped on the spot? He was molesting this child from the age of 7, instead they say if you continue to do it you'll be disfellowshipped? *shaking head*

  Why did they leave it to the molester to go to police? How is that protecting anyone?

  This religion makes me crazy when it comes to this crime
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  bottleofwater

  I can't blame JWs. Only the retarded elders involved.
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  Farkel

  :church leaders told Gold his behaviour was wrong and warned that if it continued he would be "disfellowshipped", or expelled, because the church disapproved of homosexual behaviour.

  I get it. Child abuse of a 7-year-old is only wrong if it is the "homosexual" kind. Otherwise, no problem.

  What a bunch of assholes.

  Farkel
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  truthseekeriam

  Sorry bottleofwater,

  The elders get their instructions from someone. I always ask myself when reading these stories.."what would any elders gain from not doing the right thing?" I'm sure the majority of men would find it absolutely disgusting if a grown man/woman would take advantage of a small child like this. What keeps them from calling the police on the spot? What keeps them from disfellowshipping them on the spot? The only thing I could come up with is they are being told what to do.
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  TheListener

  They get so lost in their thoughts about how they are separate from the rest of us and that God will take care of matters in his own due time that they don't do the right thing. That sickens me. It is unbelievable that this man wasn't disfellowshipped and all the children (parents) in the area notified to be cautious of this individual.
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  Mythbuster

  Well, this explains why apologists say there are no pedophiles in the JWs. The JWs just relabel them homosexual, so there! This so pisses me off! This needs to be stopped!
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  leavingwt

  As long as they have a "two witness" rule in place, the children are not safe.