Followers hit back over suicide of Kenja cult leader

The followers of a cult leader who took his own life have blamed his death on those who pursued him over child sex charges.

Kenneth Emmanuel Dyers, co-founder of the so-called spiritual healing group Kenja, “took his own life” on Wednesday, the group’s website said.

The body of the 85-year-old was found with a gunshot wound to the head about 11am at his Bundeena home in Sydney.

The Kenja website said Dyers had been suffering “serious ill-health”.

Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious.

The World War II veteran was last year committed to stand trial on 22 child sex offences, but the NSW District Court deemed him unfit for trial in May and ordered a mental health assessment.

He allegedly assaulted two 12-year-old girls at Kenja’s offices in Surry Hills between December, 2001, and July, 2002.

During his trademark one-to-one meditations, described as “energy conversion sessions”, Dyers allegedly took the girls into private rooms, ordered them to strip and molested them.

Similar claims of sexual abuse dated back more than 20 years, each relating to naked “processing sessions”.

Convicted in 1999 of abusing young girls as young as 11 years old, he was cleared in a successful High Court appeal in 2002.

Kenja members have blamed Dyers’ apparent suicide on the effect of more than two decades in court.

“Those who have participated in the attacks on Ken should feel a terrible guilt for their responsibility in this,” said a statement on the website.

• Australian Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263).

• Suicide Hotlines throughout the world

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