Follow-up to my previous post (re: home-made sex villains)
London Telegraph
Incest case lifts lid on Mormon polygamy
By John Hiscock in Los Angeles
The arrest of a man accused of making his 16-year-old niece his 15th wife has resurrected the subject of polygamy in the Mormon Church and has embarrassed officials at its headquarters in Salt Lake City.
David Kingston has been arrested on two charges of incest, and sheriff's officers say he may also be charged with violating a Utah state law prohibiting polygamy. If so, it will be the first prosecution for polygamy for more than 45 years.
The girl was found abandoned and badly beaten in a remote canyon. She told authorities that she was trying to escape a seven-month forced marriage to her uncle, who already had 14 wives.
Her father, John Daniel Kingston, her husband's brother, has been arrested and charged with child abuse for allegedly beating the girl when she tried to run away. Aaron Kennard, the Salt Lake County Sheriff, said he believed that there were many other victims of polygamy, but the difference in this case was that the teenage girl was willing to testify. He said: "This is the first time that an individual has felt strong enough and been willing to testify against a family member. Polygamy is a tough crime to prosecute."
The case has brought unwelcome publicity to Salt Lake City, where officials are rebuilding the city and polishing its image for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Leaders of the 10-million-member Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, which renounced multiple marriages more than a century ago, say they now excommunicate anybody caught engaging in polygamy.
Few people in Utah are willing to talk publicly about modern-day polygamy, which is believed to be practised by tens of thousands of Mormon fundamentalists in North America.
The 16-year-old girl in this case has the support of a recently formed group called Tapestry of Polygamy, consisting of a group of ex-wives of polygamists who offer encouragement and help to women wanting to escape from their marriages.
Maxine Hanes, a group spokeswoman, said:"We want to alert the public about the plight of this young woman and others like her. With so little support available to women trying to leave this lifestyle, assistance is crucial and can mean the difference between life and death in so many cases."
She said that during the past year dozens of women had contacted the group to ask for help. Vicky Prunty, one of the group's founders, said:"Most women are still very afraid of coming out because they are in danger."
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polygamyinfo.com
It's really no surprise the Talebans were initially backed by the US.... LOL! But hey, taleban means student..... I guess they were taught by Mormon profs! |
