Mormon sex abuse scandal: How the church put pedophile Daniel Taylor in charge of Kaitaia youth

In an impact statement, one boy said he was confused and disgusted by Taylor’s attacks and walked away from his friends and school. Another said Taylor abused her for years and often felt guilty.

A third boy said he kept quiet because he was afraid people would think he was gay. Another victim said she considered hanging herself to escape Taylor, her babysitter.

The judge said Taylor had a devious mind for educating boys by gaining their parents’ trust.

So how did he gain this trust? Taylor was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a popular one at that. She had a large network, was frequently involved in church youth activities, and was a registered CYFS caregiver.

Concerns about several incidents of Taylor’s inappropriate behavior towards boys were raised by local church members; but Mormon leaders said the matter was being addressed and Taylor was receiving in-house counseling about same-sex attraction.

However, after these concerns were voiced repeatedly, church leaders chose to promote Taylor to ward seminarian; this meant that he now had daily access to the youth in the ward (congregation).

He began hosting sleepovers at his home, against church protocol, but again, no one in the local leadership stopped him.

Taylor’s predatory behavior became the butt of jokes among the church’s youth. Meanwhile, their harassment of boys continued.

So how was Taylor finally stopped?

Heaven’s Helpline investigated the LDS church’s abuse hotline and looked at cases where use of that line resulted in the protection of predators, even at the expense of the safety and well-being of sexual abuse victims.

In the case of Daniel Taylor, he was brought to justice by a call to a different kind of hotline. Hear the full story in the fifth episode of Heaven’s Helpline.

We sought comment from the Church in response to the allegations discussed in this episode. The church did not directly address the allegations but said in a statement: “As followers of Jesus Christ, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abhor abuse of any kind. As a church, we invest heavily in prevention and intervention; and we will continue to do so.” The full statement from the church can be read Here.

Heaven’s Helpline is available at: iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. The series was produced with the support of NZ On Air. For more information about this series, go to: nzherald.co.nz/heavenshelpline