Graham Capill

Graham John Capill (born 1959) is a former New Zealand Christian leader, politician and convicted rapist.

He was educated at Middleton Grange School, a large evangelical Protestant school in that city, where his father, Donald Capill, was vice-principal for most of the 1970s, and which his brothers, David, Murray and Timothy, also attended.

Capill went to work in the aviation industry, and qualified as a pilot and an avionics engineer.

Later, Capill decided to become a minister, and studied towards a Bachelor of Divinity degree at the Reformed Theological College in Geelong, Australia.

He gained his degree in 1986.

He returned to New Zealand to complete an internship at Wellington, and became a minister of the Reformed Church of Dunedin in 1988.

The Christian Heritage Party, founded in 1989, held its first convention in 1990.

Capill was appointed the new party's leader in June of that year.

He remained leader of the party through five elections, but the party failed to win any seats.

Further charges of rape and indecent assault against girls aged under 12 (committed during the 1990s) followed.

As Capill had strongly condemned "sexual perversion" throughout his political career, the revelations had particular impact.

Capill's conduct was swiftly condemned by Christian Heritage.

Capill gained a law degree from the University of Canterbury in 1997.

Capill and his wife Judith have ten children.

By June 1998 he was attending an Anglican church in Christchurch, but described himself as Presbyterian by conviction.

These events took place between the years of 2001 and 2002, while Capill was leader of Christian Heritage.

His activities were brought to an end by the Rev Wally Behan, vicar of St John's Anglican Church, Latimer Square, Christchurch, the church which the Capill family attended.

Behan was acting on information received from some of the victims.

Capill announced his retirement shortly after the 2002 general election, and stepped down in 2003.

He was succeeded as party leader by Ewen McQueen.

He served as the first leader of the now-defunct Christian Heritage Party, stepping down in 2003.

In November 2004 Capill resigned from the Christian Heritage citing differences of opinion over the party's new direction since his retirement.

After leaving politics, he was employed as a dispatcher in the Southern Communications Centre of the New Zealand Police.

In 2005 he was convicted of multiple sexual offences against girls under 12 years of age and sentenced to nine years imprisonment.

Within a year he had been moved to be a police prosecutor at the Christchurch District Court, but was stood down in early 2005 pending criminal charges.

On 23 March 2005 Capill appeared in the Christchurch District Court charged with indecently assaulting a girl aged under 12.

On leaving the court he was assaulted ("punched and left whimpering on the ground") by local sickness beneficiary Daniel McNally, a former boxer.

The media referred to Capill, who was then under a name-suppression order, as "a prominent New Zealander".

McNally, who had no previous connection to the case, received a two-year prison sentence for the assault.

On 1 April 2005 name suppression was lifted and Capill pleaded guilty to a charge of indecently assaulting an eight-year-old girl on four occasions.

On 28 June 2005 Capill entered guilty pleas on a further three charges of indecent assault, one of rape, and one of unlawful sexual connection, all committed against girls under the age of 12.

Newspaper reports now describe him as "a sexual predator", and he was remanded in custody while awaiting sentencing.

On 14 July 2005 Capill was sentenced to imprisonment for nine years.

Prior to his sentencing, he sent an e-mail to supporters, asking for forgiveness and that they pray for a light sentence, also claiming that the sex with one of the young girls was "consensual".

His lawyer said that the e-mail, intended to gain sympathy and support, backfired and was ill-advised.

Judge Kerr said the email sent by Capill to supporters demonstrated he had yet to fully appreciate the enormity of his offending.

On 16 August he appealed the sentence to the dismay of his critics.

He was released on parole in August 2011, having served six years of that sentence.

Capill was born in western Africa, his parents being Christian missionaries.

Most of his youth was spent in New Zealand, mainly in the city of Christchurch.