The ‘Child Bride’ Who Brought Down Australia’s Biggest Doomsday Cult

William Kamm is the self-proclaimed Messiah behind Australia’s biggest doomsday cult.

After the inception of The Order of St Charbel in the late 1980s, Kamm spun of web of lies, peddling end of the world prophecies to coerce his trusted flock into subservience, with the promise of salvation.

But when a young girl’s diary surfaced, the true horrors of life inside the community were revealed. A life of strict hierarchy, coercive control, and abuse. All hidden from the outside world.

THE END BITS

Subscribe to Mamamia

CREDITS

Guest: Megan Norris

You can find out more about her book The Messiah's Bride here.

Host: Emma Gillespie

Executive Producer: Gia Moylan

Junior Producer: Cassie Merritt

Audio Producer: Rhiannon Mooney

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at truecrime@mamamia.com.au

Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Just by reading or listening to our content, you’re helping to fund girls in schools in some of the most disadvantaged countries in the world - through our partnership with Room to Read. We’re currently funding 300 girls in school every day and our aim is to get to 1,000. Find out more about Mamamia at mamamia.com.au

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.