[PADA: Wow, is this why the Bhaktivedanta Manor management makes people sign a "non-disclosure contract" (they cannot report crimes?) before they can reside there? Is this Sivarama's project? If you report a crime that means you can be sued for breaching your non-disclosure contract? This sounds like the MAFIA's agreement, you cannot rat out the other members of the team, or else you will face severe reactions? Or what? ys pd]
Matty Dread
Hare Krsna respected Vaisniava's and Vaisnavi's. PAMHO. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. This is quite a long and in depth story, so I'll try just to cover the main points.
Back in 2009 I was engaged in service with the oxen on the goshalla at Bhaktivedanta manor. My wife came on board and turned a grotty goshalla office into a thriving craft shop, where she sold hand made goods that were produced by the devotee community. The craft shop was a great success, where between 30% - 100% of the profit went towards the care of the cow's and oxen. Well, in hindsight, that's where we hope it went.
In 2013, a week before Janmastami, my wife was approached by a Woofer girl, Lucy Mahoney who asked her, 'Have you heard about the rape?' She then went on to tell my wife about the incident that she had inadvertently witnessed. She was awoken in her tent in the early hours by 'sex noises.'
It went on for such a long time that she couldn't sleep. That morning, she approached Delphinne, the lady who had been having sex, to ask her if she was okay. Delphinne was in a total bad state and was incoherent. Lucy lead my wife to believe that the sex sounded aggressive and didn't sound consensual. Also Delphinne was a virgin before she left France for the UK. This fact was backed up by her family who told the UK police, following their recent investigation into Stuart Coyle, A.K.A. Syamasundara Dasa. Well call him SM for the rest of this post.
The very same day not long after Lucy had told my wife, Lalita dasi, SM's wife, came into the shop and asked my wife if she had heard about SM having a naked girl in his car, and being seen driving her off temple ground. All the devotee's were talking about it, as it happened on a Sunday in a packed out temple room. According to what SM told the police, "Delphinne had been told to take off her muddy boot's before entering the temple, so she took off all her clothes." This is apparently the reason why he was seen with her in his car when he was driving her back to the farm. Also he told the police that he had two other people in the car with him, so he was never alone with her. Back at the time when it happened it was only SM who was seen in the car with her, on his own.
As Lalita was telling all this to my wife, SM came into the shop and locked it behind him. My wife confronted SM about the all this talk of a rape and was he going to report it to the police? He went bright red and blew his stack. He shouted at my wife that she wasn't to repeat a word of what she had heard, and then he turned to his wife with threats of withdrawing her seva as dairy manager. The first thing my wife did when she got home was to phone it in to the police, she also told me that, "This is the writing on 'the wall' for me and the craft shop."
The very same day not long after Lucy had told my wife, Lalita dasi, SM's wife, came into the shop and asked my wife if she had heard about SM having a naked girl in his car, and being seen driving her off temple ground. All the devotee's were talking about it, as it happened on a Sunday in a packed out temple room. According to what SM told the police, "Delphinne had been told to take off her muddy boot's before entering the temple, so she took off all her clothes." This is apparently the reason why he was seen with her in his car when he was driving her back to the farm. Also he told the police that he had two other people in the car with him, so he was never alone with her. Back at the time when it happened it was only SM who was seen in the car with her, on his own.
As Lalita was telling all this to my wife, SM came into the shop and locked it behind him. My wife confronted SM about the all this talk of a rape and was he going to report it to the police? He went bright red and blew his stack. He shouted at my wife that she wasn't to repeat a word of what she had heard, and then he turned to his wife with threats of withdrawing her seva as dairy manager. The first thing my wife did when she got home was to phone it in to the police, she also told me that, "This is the writing on 'the wall' for me and the craft shop."
As neither me or my wife were on a wage, we also hadn't signed a 'gagging order.' Meaning that we were free to express ourselves as human beings and point out any serious issues that might arise when you're involved in a tight knit community, or so you would think? The investigating officer into SM just recently told me and my wife that he was, "Very disappointed in the lack of police involvement at the time of the allegation." Why did SM have such a strong reaction to my wife asking him if he was going to report it? Maybe he was afraid of being 'found out' for something else?....... This letter is continued in the next comment box below...Janmastami came and went. We then received an email from SM that "Regrettably you have both been suspended due to in-discrepancies over the takings at Janmastami." Apparently, seventy jar's of honey had gone missing and we were being blamed for it. Now, this is honey that we were selling in the goshalla craft shop. However, just recently it came to light where the honey went, no, it wasn't us! Surprise, surprise, but at the time me and my wife were devastated. My wife had put so much into building up the shop and I had a massive bond and strong attachment to the oxen. Both of us were never banned from Bhaktivedanta manor. In hindsight, we're both glad to be out of doing seva there, and everything happens for a reason. Krsna's arrangement? My wife has only ever stepped back onto Bhaktivedanta manor grounds twice in five years.
By now it was late October, early November and SM and his wife Lalita were in the holy Dharm for Kartika.
While they were away, a number of Woofer girls came forward to Krsna Caintanya Dasa, the farm manager and told him that SM had been inappropriate with them. One English Woofer boy was going 'off his head' demanding justice for these girls, and that if it wasn't reported to the senior management at Bhaktivedanta manor then he would " go to the police." Krsna Caintanya had no choice, and reported it to senior management. When SM returned from India to the manor, he was called into a meeting with the senior management.
As soon as they began to tell him the allegations he said arrogantly, "I resign." Sanjay, who is the topmost senior patron multi-millionaire at Bhaktivedanta manor dealt with him. SM was banned for three years, he's back now. The police told me that SM told the police that he thought that, "I was very harshly dealt with by my fellow management at the manor. I wasn't expecting to be treated like that." Seems like he was just expecting a slap on the wrist. By the way, Sanjay told the police that "We want to make things right with all those who feel that they may have been treated unfairly by us when devotee's have butted heads over issue's like these." So when the police come knocking the door, he then wants to extend the olive branch? I guess that five years late is better then never. Let's see if he contacts us. I highly doubt if he will.
The police told me that when they turned up to question SM he said. "Good old Lainey and Matty. This is all Lainey and Matty's doing." (That's me and my wife). Well, actually we were asked by a senior devotee that, if he went to the police would we give evidence. To be honest, we had put it all behind us. We'd reported it to the police when it had happened in 2013 and we'd heard nothing back. My wife is still very hurt by the whole thing. Losing the shop and her seva, but most importantly, the rape of a young girl and the molestation of three others.
The police told me that when they turned up to question SM he said. "Good old Lainey and Matty. This is all Lainey and Matty's doing." (That's me and my wife). Well, actually we were asked by a senior devotee that, if he went to the police would we give evidence. To be honest, we had put it all behind us. We'd reported it to the police when it had happened in 2013 and we'd heard nothing back. My wife is still very hurt by the whole thing. Losing the shop and her seva, but most importantly, the rape of a young girl and the molestation of three others.
I use the word "rape" because we both firmly believe that there is more to that particular incident, and that certain things just don't add up? Certain things have been covered up, if you believe the info that Lucy Mahoney told my wife at the time. When the police recently spoke to Lucy Mahoney, she back tracked on everything that my wife told the police Lucy had told her. Also at that time in 2013, she had told my wife that SM had also threatened her if she spoke out about the rape incident. The police told me that she now denies ever saying anything of the sort to my wife. Why has she back tracked? Either she was making it up at the time, or she's been scared off. SM has a solid alibi. Mind you, he's had five year's to get one together.
What has come out of this is the fact that SM has admitted to the police that he was molesting, or 'touching up' some of the Woofer ladies. He has admitted that he has 'a problem' when it comes to women, and that he's seen a counsellor about 'his problem.' So basically he's admitted that he lecherous and untrustworthy around women.
What has come out of this is the fact that SM has admitted to the police that he was molesting, or 'touching up' some of the Woofer ladies. He has admitted that he has 'a problem' when it comes to women, and that he's seen a counsellor about 'his problem.' So basically he's admitted that he lecherous and untrustworthy around women.
Now, if any of the three ladies that complained about SM molesting them had decided to press charges against him, then the outcome for him would of been very different. The best result from all of this is that SM is now known to the police, The police told me that, if SM were, for example to apply for a job in a girls school, then his history would be known to any potential employee's. Has justice been done? Yes it has, and I hope that in future, the Bhaktivedanta senior management team take on board seriously the allegations that arise in their community, for the safety of all. On a final note. My wife has always expressed that a written personal apology to the both of us from senior management at Bhaktivedanta manor would be nice, but I guess there's more chance of ISKCON becoming an 'open book' then for us to ever receiving one.
Yes prabhu, it looks like ISKCON is a runaway train with really no one at the controls. Thus -- whatever people think they can get away with -- they will at least try to. Going to the police is therefore a good idea in that scenario, which is what we did. It does seem like most devotees simply left the ship and let the pirates take over and rampage around. Anyway, more people are waking up, and that is all there is to it. These people woke up, and they will inform others, and so on and so forth. We are playing catch up at this point, the original devotees are not going to fix this, they are not really too interested -- and many of them are too old and fried to take action now. We are going to have to start to rely more and more on these folks, the next wave, and the wave after them and so forth. ys pd
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