Mum-of-two, Joy Harris, told 60 Minutes that her husband, Pastor Larry Harris, was a leader of a radical church which preached that women are the property of their husbands and must submit to them.
'He thought the more times a day he had it the more of a man he was. it got up to six or seven times a day,’ she told the programme.
The couple had moved from the USA in the early 90s as missionaries from the Valley Forge Baptist Church, which has been likened to a ‘cult’ by former members
Larry Harris is currently serving five years in prison for two counts of rape against his wife, a conviction which has split their family apart.
Ms Harris’s son, Kevin, is also a pastor, preaching for Independent Baptist Church, and has refused to speak to his mother, believing that his father was mistreated and that ‘there was disobedience to the Lord on both parts.’
The couple’s other son, Jason, is horrified at the suggestion that his mother could be considered at fault, and left the church after the allegations appeared.
‘We didn't realise it at the time, but she was a sex slave,' he said.
'You can't tell a woman that was raped it was her fault. It's evil, it's evil.’
This article first published on New Idea.
