Cult leader William ‘Little Pebble’ Costellia and wife arrested over historical child grooming charges

Cult leader William “Little Pebble” Costellia-Kamm and his wife have been charged with fresh historical sex offences.

Pedophile cult leader William Costellia-Kamm, also known as Little Pebble, and his partner Sandra Costellia have been arrested over historical child grooming allegations. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

A young girl was allegedly told by notorious cult leader William “Little Pebble” Costellia-Kamm that she had been “selected” by God to procreate with him, during what police say was a decade of grooming.

Costellia, 73, and his wife Sandra Costellia, 58, were arrested and charged by NSW Police Sex Crimes Squad on Monday six months after the now adult woman came forward to claim she had been groomed by the couple ever since she was six years old.

A convicted pedophile, Costellia is best known for being the leader of a cult-style religious group called the “Order of St Charbel”, who claims the Virgin Mary visits his home on the NSW south coast every day.

Costellia-Kamm ran a breakaway Catholic cult known as the Order of Saint Charbel on the NSW South Coast until 2005 when he was convicted of the aggravated sexual assault of two children in the 1990s.

NSW Police Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad boss Jayne Doherty said it will be alleged that since 2010 - including even when Costellia was behind bars between 2007 and 2016 for sexual assault, and then between 2021 and 2022 for breaching an extended supervision order (ESO) - he continued to groom the girl via phone calls and with letters sent from prison.

“Police will allege that over the period the child was groomed, she was advised by the religious leader and his partner that she had been selected to procreate with the religious leader and build a new sect,” Detective Superintendent Doherty said.

“While the male accused was an inmate at a correctional centre (he allegedly) utilised phone calls, letters and using the female accused… to groom that child.”

Det Supt Doherty said the Costellia’s would be charged with grooming a child under the age of 14, grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity and inciting a person to carry out with a sexual act without consent.

An additional charge of failing to comply with an extended supervision order will also be laid against the man known as “Little Pebble”.

Det Supt Doherty said the woman had in recent years felt “supported” enough to come forward with the allegations.

Police arrest William Costellia-Kamm and Sandra Costellia in Sydney on Monday. Photo: NSW Police

“These are horrendous allegations... these are 13 of the formative years for that young girl and she is to be commended that she was so brave to come forward now,” she said.

“She came to a point in her life where she was supported enough to come forward.”

Last week detectives from the Sex Crimes Squad working under Strike Force Gandell executed two search warrants – one at the religious group’s headquarters in Bangalee on the South Coast, and the other at a unit in Sydney’s CBD.

Det Supt Doherty said police had seized a number of items relevant to their investigation during the search of the home and two sheds in Bangalee, including gifts allegedly given to the woman which were made by Costellia while he was in jail.

The Costellias were arrested at a CBD apartment on Monday and taken to Day Street Police Station.

Costellia-Kamm was charged with five offences including grooming a child under 14 for unlawful sexual activity and failing to comply with a supervision order.

Ms Costellia was charged with grooming a child under 14 for unlawful sexual activity, and grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity.

Both were refused bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday.

Costellia ran a breakaway Catholic cult known as the Order of Saint Charbel at Nowra on the NSW South Coast until 2005 when he was convicted of the aggravated sexual assault of two children in the 1990s.

The man who believed he was “the last Pope”, destined to repopulate a royal dynasty with 12 queens and 72 princesses, ended up serving almost a decade behind bars before being released on parole.

During the years he was in jail, the cult he created warned on its website that Sydney would pay the price for imprisoning Costellia.

“The city will collapse and the Harbour Bridge will collapse with the Opera House and many people shall perish and the authorities will come to believe and understand what they have done to you,” a post on the website read.

Following his release Costellia continued to claim the Virgin Mary appeared daily at the property outside of Nowra.

On top of the child grooming allegations, police are also expected to charge Costellia with failing to comply with his ESO - which was applied for by the NSW Government in the wake of his release in 2016, and approved by the NSW Supreme Court.

Costellia, who is under the conditions of the ESO until April 14, 2025, has previously been charged for breaches of the order including using a Wordpress website to run a blog for his church and posting on Facebook.

Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Email [e-mail]