Former Jehovah's Witness elder committed to stand trial accused of Sunshine Coast rapes, sexual abuse

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Former church elder Peter Mitchelson is facing more than 50 charges, including 21 counts of rape, which police allege took place between 2008 and 2018.

Peter Mitchelson has been accused of using his position in the church community to coerce young men into non-consensual sexual acts on the Sunshine Coast and in Brisbane.A former Jehovah's Witness elder has been committed to stand trial for raping and sexually abusing young men on the Sunshine Coast over a 10-year period.

Police said the acts were non-consensual and made the alleged victims feel "used, controlled, and lied to". One man was allegedly told by Mr Mitchelson he would be "cleansed" of human papillomavirus if he allowed Mr Mitchelson to penetrate him. "It is a very insular environment, where the slightest discretion is treated by the church, not within the family unit," she said.

Magistrate Callaghan refused an application for bail on the newer charges, today finding Mr Holt had not established that his client did not present an unacceptable risk of interfering with witnesses — even with strict bail conditions.

 

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