A former teacher from Gloriavale, Just Standfast, was sentenced to four years in prison for sexual abuse that lasted over 40 years. Judge Quentin Hix sentenced him in Greymouth District Court for 23 charges involving 15 girls from 1983 to 2001, and violent acts against five boys and one adult from 1983 to 2023.
Standfast, 73, pleaded guilty in May to serious charges that included sexual violation and indecent assault against girls aged 7 to 16, as well as assaulting boys and a man. Due to his cooperation with the police and health issues, he received a 60% reduction in his prison sentence, which started at 10.5 years.
In March 2019, he had already been sentenced to six months of community detention and two years of supervision for inappropriately touching a 9-year-old student. The judge at that time noted Standfast’s previously good character.
A 2022 report revealed that former Gloriavale principal Faithful Pilgrim had wrongly supported Standfast as a good teacher despite knowing about his past abuse.
The police began investigating Standfast after complaints about sexual offenses at Gloriavale. Before a formal interview, he admitted to his crimes in a letter to the police, naming two of his victims.
His lawyer described Standfast as very sorry for his actions and stated that he had apologized to many of the victims. However, he argued that prison would be too harsh given Standfast’s health problems.
Standfast, previously known as Harvey Weston Bishop, suffered serious injuries from a motorcycle crash which led to the amputation of his leg. Reports indicate that his violent behavior occurred while supervising young boys in a garden, hitting them with tools when they disappointed him.
He also committed indecent acts on girls aged 5 to 14, touching them inappropriately. Standfast expressed deep shame for his actions, stating he would live with guilt and shame forever.
