KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 ― A Protestant Kuala Lumpur church said that Richard Huckle, the man dubbed in UK media as Britain’s “worst paedophile”, had visited it a few times, but denied any child sexual abuse in its congregation or the surrounding community.
Pastor Paul Packianathan, senior pastor of the Community of Praise ― which has churches in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, and in Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya ― also said Huckle never taught English tuition in the Community of Praise Taman Wahyu located in the capital.
“There was no abuse in our church,” Paul told Malay Mail Online.
“Those children supposedly affected by him are not from our church, or from the community where our church is,” he said. “He just came as a parishioner on and off”.
UK media reported Wednesday that Huckle, a 30-year-old photographer, is facing several life sentences for the sexual abuse of babies and children aged between six months and 12 years from 2006 to 2014.
Huckle, who is believed to have abused up to 200 children, reportedly admitted 71 of 91 charges related to 23 girls and boys that included rape and sexual assault. Twenty-two children are reportedly from mainly impoverished Christian communities in Kuala Lumpur, where he posed as an English teacher and Christian philanthropist, while one is Cambodian.
UK broadcaster Sky News reported that Huckle, whose computer allegedly had over 20,000 indecent images of children, had offered to help teach at schools and churches in Malaysia and was sometimes employed for private tuition in his victims’ homes.
Paul said Huckle, who lived permanently in Malaysia from 2011 until December 2014 when he was arrested at Gatwick Airport in the UK, used to stay in the affluent suburbs of Taman Tun Dr Ismail.
The church pastor also said he had told Huckle off a few times, after which the young man would be “missing for a long time”, but declined to elaborate on the incidents.
“Some of his characteristics I didn't like,” said Paul, adding that he could not remember the years when Huckle visited the church.
According to Paul, Huckle had socialised with church members and acted “like any normal human being”.
“I guess you'll only see the [true] colours as you go along,” said Paul. “He used to take photographs and all that. That's it”.
* An earlier version of this article had erroneously reported Huckle as having visited The Community of Praise church in Taman Medan, and has since been rectified. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
