Cult leader James Gino Salerno guilty of abusing 13-year-old girl but set to appeal the verdict

Cult leader and multi-millionaire James Salerno has been found guilty of sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl at a compound in the Adelaide Hills. But his barrister has vowed to appeal the verdict.

• God Squad cult: Serafina Tané tale of freedom

The leader of an Adelaide Hills based cult has been found guilty of abusing a girl he had trained to be his personal groomer and assistant.

James Gino Salerno, 72, ran a cult for seven years devoted to crafting the “Ideal Human Environment” from an estate in Aldgate which included a mansion, barracks and other facilities before leaving South Australia.

Salerno was remanded in custody on Friday after Judge Paul Slattery, who presided over the trial without a jury, returned guilty verdicts to eight out of nine sexual abuse charges.

However, Salerno’s barrister David Edwardson QC has vowed to appeal the verdict to the Supreme Court.

“I have looked at the judgment and I can assure you we will be appealing,” Mr Edwardson told The Advertiser.

The court heard Salerno, who was known to members of the groups as “Taipan”, became the leader of the cult because he had the highest “Emotional Quotient”.

Members of the group were required to align their thought patterns with Salerno’s as they believed his thoughts to be “good and pure and right”.

Decisions within the group were made through a “wisdom bank” comprising three members of the group.

James Gino Salerno was found guilty of multiple sexual abuse charges. Picture: Greg Higgs.

Salerno used the ranking system to secure his own primacy, claiming the largest bedroom in the mansion and establishing a cluster of women who would be at his beck and call at any time of the day or night.

“These women gave the accused massages, manicures, pedicures, ran his bath, washed his clothes, prepared, cooked and served his food and generally attended to his every need,” Judge Slattery said.

“They were all part of the accoutrements of his status and in his position of primacy.”

Salerno’s victim was second lowest in the ranking scheme, ahead of only her father.

Shortly after she turned 13 in 2003 a wisdom bank decided she could leave school and spend all her time at the Aldgate premises.

Judge Slattery concluded that from the time the victim started working for Salerno, the older man started grooming her for sex.

His abuse of the young victim lasted for three years and occurred at the compound in Aldgate as well as on a camping trip to Charleston.

Salerno was found not guilty of a ninth count of sexual assault which was alleged to have occurred in Coober Pedy.

The group relocated to the Gold Coast in Queensland and finally to Kununurra in Western Australia before the victim left in 2009.

Salerno was arrested in Brisbane in November 2015 and initially charged with 24 counts of unlawful sexual intercourse.

Judge Slattery said structure of the group was commercial in nature and included Salerno giving $400,000 to purchase the El Questro Cattle Station in northwest Western Australia.

Salerno will face sentencing submissions and a likely appeal in the coming months.