- A cult member has been sentenced to nine years in jail
- He beat her two-year-old daughter to death
- Craig will be eligible for parole
A cult member who beat her two-year-old daughter to death in Australia has been sentenced to nine years in jail.
Tillie Craig disappeared from the Ministry of God farm in 1987, sparking a decades-long search by her father.
In reality, Tillie had been killed with a plastic pipe.
Her remains were allegedly burned by the sect’s leader and scattered at the commune. Ellen Rachel Craig, 62, was charged with her daughter’s murder in 2022 and later pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Justice Natalie Adams acknowledged Craig’s lack of intent to cause serious harm but emphasized the gravity of the tragedy. “She died at the hands of someone whose role it was to protect her,” she said.
Children at the commune were required to do chores, regardless of their age, and were frequently disciplined with a piece of black pipe.
On July 7, 1987, Tillie was beaten to death by her mother for failing to complete her chores satisfactorily.
Craig claimed Tillie stopped breathing and waited for the cult leader, known as “Papa,” to return. Wilon, the cult leader, is accused of cremating Tillie and forbidding the cult members from speaking of what happened.
He has been charged with being an accessory to murder but was declared unfit to stand trial due to terminal illness.
Craig was expelled from the cult in 1987 and fled to New Zealand, where she lived under aliases until her arrest and extradition in 2021.
In a letter read to the court, Craig apologized for her crime and claimed she had been influenced by her time in the cult.
Tillie’s father, Gerard Stanhope, who spent years searching for his daughter, learned of her death through his ex-partner’s arrest.
He shared his heartbreak and devastation in a victim impact statement.
Craig will be eligible for parole after six years in custody.
