Australian Cult Leader and Wife Face Trial for Grooming Girl to Bear 45 Children
William Kamm, known as "Little Pebble," and his wife Sandra Susan Mathison are on trial in Sydney for allegedly grooming a young girl over more than a decade to become one of Kamm's "wives" and bear 45 children in a post-apocalyptic world. Kamm, 76, leads the religious group "Order of Saint Charbel" in New South Wales and claims to be a prophet delivering messages from Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Mathison, 60, stands accused alongside him, with both denying the charges.
The complainant, whose identity is protected, was six years old when the relationship began. The prosecution alleges she was raised to believe it was her divine mission to become one of Kamm's "queens" and play a central role in a new era following global catastrophe. Kamm purportedly maintained twelve "queens" and numerous "princesses," all chosen by the Virgin Mary, to bear his children after the apocalypse.
At the time the relationship started, Kamm was imprisoned and unable to speak directly with the girl, so communication was mediated by Mathison using coded language. The girl was allegedly told to keep their "spiritual marriage" secret to avoid interference from evil forces. She later testified that she initially saw the mission as positive but developed anxiety and suicidal thoughts as she understood its implications.
The prosecution also claims Kamm planned to take the girl on an international cruise to carry out their "divine mission" without legal restrictions. In 2019, when she was 15, Kamm wrote that Jesus predicted she would have 45 children. The girl began planning to leave the cult at 16 but feared damnation if she escaped.
Kamm has a prior criminal history involving sexual offenses against minors within his community, including convictions in 2005 and 2007 for assaulting 15-year-old girls under the guise of spiritual marriages. He was released on parole in 2014 with restrictions prohibiting contact with minors. The current charges include grooming a minor for sexual purposes, incitement, and violating court orders. The trial, presided over by Judge Nicole Norman without a jury, is ongoing following their arrest in September 2024 after the girl reported the abuse.
