(INQUISITIVE MUSIC) Captions by Stella Huggins. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2022 - Tonight on Sunday, the makings of a murderer. - We chatted about what he'd been doing that day. He said lots of bodies are going missing and the target is. - Tell me what happened last Saturday. - Um... from the beginning? - I can now advise that a short time ago we located a body which we believe to be Grace. - Grace Millane's killer, and the women who knew him. - Unless you've been behind closed doors with that man when he's mad, You have no idea. - And forget preaching the good book. Is this church cooking the books? - It appears to be a giant sham. And this is a sham not by ordinary Mormons, but by the church in Salt Lake City. - In a cult, you don't question the leadership. - A church, a charity or cheating? Do you think the church is guilty of fraud? - I do. I do. - Absolutely. (INQUISITIVE MUSIC) - Kia ora, I'm Miriama Kamo. 'He didn't mean to.' That's what Grace Millane's killer argued. The jury disagreed, and Jesse Kempson was convicted of the British backpacker's 2018 murder. But could her death have been avoided? Following Grace Millane's case, Jesse Kempson was found guilty in two other cases, charges including rape and threatening to kill. Tonight, the women involved who say Grace didn't need to die. Now just a warning, our story deals with disturbing themes and content. Here's Mava Moayyed. (INTENSE MUSIC) - We begin tonight in central Auckland, where police say they now hold grave fears for the safety of missing British backpacker Grace Millane. - Look, the longer this goes on, the more concerning it is. - In December 2018, the world held its breath. - She told me that, 'hold her arms tighter'. Um... and then she told me to hold her throat. - Hoping for good news. - He said he killed her, but it wasn't his fault. - Your daughter should have been safe here and she wasn't. And I'm sorry for that. (KEYS CLICK) - Instead, grief and anger swept the nation. - He says 'lots of bodies are going missing. The dogs won't be able to smell it.' - This is not a murder. The defendant freaked out. - Jesse Kempson was found guilty of murder. But were warning signs missed? - We sort of left the bar. He said 'my car's this way'. - Then he whispered, 'time to go to sleep.' (INTENSE MUSIC REACHES A CRESCENDO) (LIGHT MUSIC) - Grace Emmie Rose McClain grew up in Wickford, Essex, in the southwest of England. A talented artist with a lust for life. The 22 year old had just finished uni and had set out on her OE. Six weeks in South America, then to New Zealand. But less than two weeks after she arrived here, Grace disappeared. (UNSETTLING MUSIC) - We've had this report of a missing person. She hasn't been seen or heard from her family since the 1st of December. Her birthday was on the 2nd of December, and nobody's heard from her. - Detective Inspector Scott Beard became head of the investigation. His first step was figuring out who Grace was. SCOTT BEARD: Checking on her social media accounts, her phone records. And you start building up a little bit of background, a profile of her. - What were the next steps in the investigation? - One of the staff had looked at Grace's Facebook account. The last person to comment was a Jesse Shane. And it was a photo of Grace, and he'd gone 'beautiful, very radiant'. So he becomes a person, which first of all, we need to speak to. - He was well-presented, cooperative, confident. - Just have a look up, you can see us on the screen there, mate. - Yep. - OK. Tell us about Grace. - Uh, so I was talking to Grace on Tinder. - Yeah. - Said, 'I know it's...' 'quick, but do you want to catch up for a drink?' She asked me where. I said SkyCity. ` How did the evening pan out? - Um... hm... Yeah, pretty good. Yeah. We` we drank a lot of cocktails. And we were` we were having good conversations. - Yeah. (INCOMING TEXT TONE) (TEXT TONE CHIMES) (INCOMING TEXT TONE) (TEXT TONE CHIMES) (UNSETTLING MUSIC CONTINUES) - Kempson painted a picture of a fun date that ended well. And it was a believable story. Until... - Where was the last point that you saw her? - It would have been at the` uh... at that intersection. I don't know how I ended up in bed that night. I'm sure the concierge said to me the next day he helped me into bed. I woke up about nine. Nine, ten o'clock. - Mm-hm. - Yeah. Hey, I just want to ask a question, have I been arrested for something I didn't do? - You haven't been arrested, mate. - Oh. Oh. Sike. Holy shit. - What Kempson didn't know was at this exact moment, police had found a major hole in his story. (EXHALES) - In the break, one of the staff had found CCTV. They said, 'I've got him coming down the lift at 8 am' - Is that you? - Yes. - That's you. - Yes. - OK. OK, that picture... - Mm-hm. - ... picture is in your hotel lift. - Yeah. - OK. That's on Sunday morning. - Mm-hm. - At 8 o'clock in the morning. 8.14. - OK. Yeah. - Yeah. - I'm sure` I'm still sure it was... ten o'clock. I'm still sure of it. Is` there something you want to ask? - You were pretty specific. - Yeah. - About waking up. - Yeah. - Having been in a drunken stupor. - Mm-hm. - At nine or ten o'clock in the morning. - Yeah. - That's you walking in... with a suitcase. - Mm-hm. - At 8.14. - Yep. I might have got the times wrong. But if you're assuming that I was using that suitcase for something. I've still got that suitcase in my room. And you guys can have it. If that's what you` you're assuming. SEAN BEARD: It was so plausible and believable until that break. And we established that hold on, he's either mistaken here, or he's told us a lie. - I'm telling you, the bag is still in my room. - What's in it? - Nothing. Nothing's in it. - Catching him in a lie wasn't enough to arrest him. So Kempson was released. But it wasn't long before a search warrant for his apartment revealed crucial and disturbing evidence. SEAN BEARD: We had a scene examination. Scientists use what's called luminol. And that's a chemical that you spray, and it will bring up blood. It'll make it glow. And when you first see it, you go, 'oh, my gosh. What's he done with her?' We have this luminol showing, we have him telling us lies. So we arranged to bring Jesse Kempson back to the police station. He spent some considerable time with his lawyer. - It was obvious to me that this was a young man who was under a good deal of stress and was in dire need of legal advice. - The next time Kempson was interviewed by police, barrister Ian Brookie was there. - Obviously we're playing catch up. We're not privy to the information that the police have. - Tell me what happened last Saturday. - Um, from the beginning? - Yeah. - I was quite intoxicated at that point, so was Grace. Um... I remember, um... leaving Bluestone. Um... I remember` the next thing I remember after that is being in the room with Grace, Um, we were kissing, and she` she told me that there's a few things she likes doing, um, and she told me that, hold her arms tighter. Um, and then she told me to hold her throat. - Those details became central to his defence. - We'd finished. And then all I remember is falling asleep in the shower. - Kempson told police he woke up at 6am, and then discovered Grace was dead. - I was in shock and... I didn't know what to do. I ended up driving towards the Waitakeres. Um, I went into the bush. I dug a hole. (TEARFULLY) I went and got the suitcase. (SNIFFLES) And I put it in the hole. (UNSETTLING MUSIC) - How did the police recover her body? - We had the X-ray machine there. Pathologist, and he just unzipped one little side, and yes, there's` there's a human body in there. I can now advise that a short time ago, we located a body which we believe to be Grace. This is unbearable time for the Millane family, and our hearts go out to them. - Coming up, the woman who unknowingly dated a killer. - We chatted about what he'd been doing that day. He said lots of bodies are going missing in the Waitakeres. Left the bar, walked to the corner of the street and he said, 'My car's this way'. - And the lawyer who defended him. - He didn't think that he would be believed. This young woman dead on his floor in a hotel room. No one's going to believe him. Those stakes are pretty high. - Hey, Kyle. (MELANCHOLY MUSIC) - If you're lagging behind in the conversation, you might... - Morning! - ...have bad net. (PENSIVE MUSIC) (TEXT TONE CHIMES) - Yes. Yes. I swiped right. - Jesse Kempson was a prolific user of Tinder. Police say he was chatting to dozens of matches at once. He meet one of those women for a date. The same morning, he says, he discovered Grace Millane was dead. - His eyes are really, really round. It's a distinguishing feature of him. And he was very, very clean. Very well groomed. We kind of gave each other a hug, and we chatted about what he had been doing that day. He wasn't super present. You could tell his thoughts were a bit tangled up. It was kind of like making up his own imaginary world. And he said all his friends were police officers. He said, they're having a really tough time right now because lots of bodies are going missing in the Waitakeres. And, you know, it's very hard because police dogs can only smell a body five feet deep. So if you bury a body seven feet deep, the dogs won't be able to smell it. And then he said, 'oh, it's like this` this guy that I know of' 'who had rough sex with his girlfriend, he killed her. But it wasn't his fault.' He said, 'because he really loved her, it was just an accident.' 'You know, a guy can make one wrong move and be in prison for the rest of his life.' What I feel like he may have been doing during that time was trying to almost sift through everything that had just happened the last 24 hours and give himself a sense of safety or comfort. We sort of left the bar, walk to the corner of the street and he said, 'my car's this way.' And my car was actually that way, too. But I just had a gut sense that something was off about this guy. And so he left to walk to his car, and I just walked the other way. He texts me maybe an hour or so later saying, 'hey, that was really fun. I'd love to do it again.' - Only later did she learn that while on the date with Kempson, Grace, lay dead in his apartment. And when their date was done... - Then he went and took her to the Waitakeres, in his car, and buried her. - 11 months later, she was called as a witness at Kempson's murder trial. - Tense. It was a very tense atmosphere. It's the most packed courtroom I've ever been in. - Barrister Ian Brookie was one of Kempson's lawyers. Can you outline the defence for us? - Well, I think in a lot of ways the Crown case and the defence case were the same. Two young people dating. They became increasingly friendly, close, affectionate, back to his place to be intimate. - Here's the crucial point where the prosecution, and defence's case diverged. - In the throes of that passion, while applying force to the neck, he brought about her death. The question is, what did he intend? - Under New Zealand law, the act of murder requires intent. - His account was... this breath play was introduced by her. And the police investigated it and it came back that actually, yeah, that was an interest that she had. This is really important because it goes to the core of his narrative. What they were doing and why they were doing it. The evidence from our pathologist was that with sufficient force supplied to the neck in a consensual situation, it can bring about unconsciousness from which the person does not recover because they're so intoxicated. This was entirely possible to bring about someone's death in that way. - The 'rough sex' defence, as it became known, proved highly controversial. Some felt that by bringing up Grace's sexual history, Kempson's lawyers were blaming her for her own death. Brookie says that's wrong. - The 'rough sex defence' is never a term that I used. It's a pejorative term. The defence is that they embarked upon this course of conduct that can be dangerous, and it went wrong. - He had to strangle her for five to ten minutes. Without letting up. Now you will feel life... draining out of her, as you're doing it. Yet you continue doing it? That's not rough sex. That was murder. - If you put your hands around someone's neck in anger to silence them five to ten minutes, sounds like a long time. If you're doing it as part of an ongoing mutual course of sexual gratification, well then it's less significant. - What about the prosecution's case? - A large portion, if not frankly, most of the Crown case rested on what I would call post-death conduct. What the defendant did afterwards. SCOTT BEARD: You know` he had said in that second interview that he panicked and he woke up in the morning and she was there... lying on the floor. Dead. That he panicked. But we know that's not true, because we know that just after 1.30 am in the morning, he's searching 'Waitakere Ranges', he's searching 'hottest fires' and he's googling porn sites. He's arranging another Tinder date. He's not panicking. - Why do you think Mr Kempson behaved the way he did after Grace's death? - For self-preservation. Which is a very strong instinct that we all have. This young woman dead on his floor in a hotel room. No one's going to believe him. 'I'm going to go to prison for the rest of my life', right? Those stakes are pretty high. So... The level of jeopardy someone is in will determine the lengths that they might go to, to avoid those consequences. The defendant freaked out. And once a person makes that call and they don't press 111 on their phone, they don't dial it. You're committed, aren't you? How do you turn back from that? And with every step he takes along that path, it's harder and harder to come back. What he did afterwards is irrelevant to those key issues. And it's a dangerous, dangerous distraction. - After a three week trial and five hours of deliberation, the jury delivered its verdict. - It was... Emotional. - When that verdict was read, that was probably the most emotional courtroom I've ever been in. - I think the media needs to have a very good look at itself in terms of how it covered this case. Mr Kempson was` was characterised very early on as` as the evil person. I think that's the way it was framed. Good-versus-evil type case. - The media covered every inch of the trial, but one major detail was left out. Why did Mr Kempson have name suppression throughout the trial? - Um... there are good legal reasons for that. And I'm not sure if I really want to go into what those reasons were. - Those reasons revealed after the break. - I met Jesse Kempson in 2016 on Tinder. - An ex-girlfriend speaks out. I looked up. He's just at my window, banging, 'open the f...ing car door, bitch.' (SNIFFLES ) It could have been avoided if they had taken me seriously. - Whakapiri mai ano. A huge outpouring of grief followed Grace Millane's murder, nut more disturbing news would follow. Other women had been seriously harmed by her killer, Jesse Kempson. One of them was his ex-girlfriend, a young woman who endured horrific abuse and somehow escaped. If her complaints were taken seriously, she says, Grace may still be alive. (OVERLAPPING TEXT TONES CHIME) - During Grace Millane's murder trial, many were frustrated that the killer was granted name suppression. But it was necessary, because Jesse Kempson faced another two trials for women he'd abused before killing Grace Millane. - I met Jesse Kempson in 2016 on Tinder. Young, naive, hopeless romantic. I wanted all the things my friends had. The marriage, the kids, the white picket fence. - She was 25 when she met Kempson, - He's very charismatic, confident. He held himself in really high regard. I remember having a phone conversation with him, after our date. Yeah, it just was like, 'oh, it's a really nice man.' He's really compassionate and sincere and... - After just a week, they were in a relationship. - The very first stages of me seeing his behaviour change was in that week. (PHONE VIBRATES) He was ringing... (PHONE VIBRATES, TEXT TONE CHIMES) Calling, ringing, calling, texting. (TEXT TONE CHIMES) (PHONE VIBRATES) And just lost it at me and just said, 'you're not my girlfriend anymore.' - His volatility became a mainstay in their relationship, and so did his demands for money. - It wasn't like small amounts. you know, five` $500, $1000. You know, the stories and the lies started coming. - How much money did you give him? - Over $20,000. That was my savings for a house. (CHUCKLES) - About a month into the relationship, they moved in together. - And that's when it started to get very, very violent. - Were you worried about your safety? - All the time. All the time. - Was there a particular moment when you thought, this is it? - Unless you've been behind closed doors with that man when he's mad... You have no idea. There's just pure evil. He was asleep on the couch and he woke up. He was like, 'I'm going to murder you tonight'. Went to the kitchen and started to chase me with the butcher knife, and body slammed me onto the ground. And I'm in the foetal position and I remember the knife coming down and he just had it at my throat, like this. You know, yelling at me, saying, 'I'm going to kill you', and I'm just pleading, you know, for my life. He had me in a choke hold. Um, and he whispered 'time to go to sleep'. I don't know how I managed to get out of that. But I did. (SHAKILY) And he... started crawling towards me and then asked me to do things... and I refused. And.... (INHALES) He said, 'if you do not do this, I will kill you and I will kill your family. You know I will.' So I did what I had to. - What was it in the end when you thought, that's it, I'm out of here? - It was my birthday. My friends had him on Tinder a couple of times, and I went into his messages and it was just number after number after number. Scroll, scroll, scroll. Just screenshotted on my phone, Just screenshot, screenshotted. I was like, 'this is the evidence I need.' Like this is` this is` I need to go now. And I just bolted. Grabbed my bags, grabbed my keys. I could just hear him behind me. (IMITATES FOOTSTEPS) And I bolted down to my car. Got in my car that was in the garage, locked my car door, and as I looked up, he's just at my window, banging, 'open the f...ing car door, bitch.' And I drove away with nothing but the clothes on my back. And I went straight to my family and told them and they said, 'get out of here. Go to your dad's, go to the police right now.' - And she did, giving police a detailed statement. But with her dad sitting beside her, she decided to leave out the sexual abuse. What did police tell you at the time? - They said that it was, yeah, a very violent situation and obviously weapons were involved, but (SIGHS) they couldn't do anything. It was, you know, too hard to prosecute because it was he said, she said. - So you wanted to press charges? - I did. - No charges were laid at the time, but she was able to take out a protection order. Her life moved on and Kempson faded into the background. But 18 months later... - My whole world came crashing down. I feel like my whole body was, like, convulsing. - She discovered her ex-boyfriend was the man charged with murdering Grace Millane. - Everything I knew deep down that was going to happen, that I hoped and I prayed, I prayed so hard that wouldn't happen. - This is really important. Kempson's ex-girlfriend told us she went to police in 2017 and was told that the things she accused him of, were really difficult to prove. A he-said-she-said scenario. - I wasn't involved in that investigation. You know, decisions were made there, at the time, rightly or wrongly. - Jess' trajectory of where he was headed and his journey in life, was always going to end up the way it was. But it could have been avoided if they had taken me seriously. If you come to the police and you say, 'help me'. Don't take that shit lightly. - It was only after Grace's murder, that police revisited the case and lay charges for the abuse she suffered. How was that court process for you? - I nearly didn't go back the second day. (SNIFFLES) They laughed at me. They scoffed. They told me that it was all my fault and that I just wanted it. I wanted everything that he had done to me. - But the judge believed her. Kempson was found guilty. He received a sentence of seven and a half years imprisonment. - The best part was hearing his shackles go out of the courtroom. (CHUCKLES) You know? Just (IMITATES SHACKLES JINGLING) (CHUCKLES) - The following month, he was found guilty again, for raping a woman he met on Tinder. He was given another three years in prison. - You're so full of shit. You have no reason to convict me. You're full of shit. - Yes. Sentencing? - This month, he was back in court, appealing both sets of convictions. If the appeal finds in his favour, what would that mean for you? - Let him. I'm done. I'm done. I've done what I've needed to do. I've won. Because I survived him. - Her new life starts with a move across the Tasman. - But Jesse stays in my past and leaving this country means goodbye to him. - While she's left New Zealand behind, the debate around victim blaming and the 'rough sex defence' continues here. - Victim blaming happens in a lot of cases. - Would you like to see the 'rough sex defence' banned in New Zealand? - I can understand why defence counsel will use it. I accept that. I don't necessarily agree with it. - This idea that we can just censor evidence because it may be unpalatable for either the victims or the public at large is really dangerous. - No woman needs to know that whatever they like in the form of sex that it will be met with death. - Grace Millane did nothing wrong. Her death wasn't her fault. For Kempson's ex-girlfriend, she hopes her story will help others in violent relationships. - If there is one person that hears this and goes, 'Oh', you know, 'I know someone that's in a situation like this,' or 'I resonate with this, that's my purpose.' You know, you have got strength and you can get through this. (SOMBRE MUSIC) - Yeah. Very brave. Now, living in Australia, she started teaching children with special needs. She also says that after everything she's been through, she's finally ready to date again. Hei muri I nga whakatairanga, an unholy mess in the Mormon Church. (CHURCH CHOIR SINGS) - It cannot justify itself as a religion because it is profit taking, rather than profit distributing. - And profits are booming. - So it's gone from 36,000 to $100 million in a decade. It just didn't add up. - Nau mai ano. The Mormon Church is known for its young, earnest, door knocking missionaries who promise enlightenment. But tonight, enlightenment about a subject the Mormon Church wants to keep secret` its finances. Across the Tasman, there are serious accusations the church is involved in an elaborate tax dodge. And as Tom Steinfort discovers, it boils down to a simple question. Church or charity? - The Book of Mormon is something every person on earth should read, according to the church's famed missionaries. But tonight we're throwing open a set of books... the Mormons would rather nobody reads. Their financial books. - I just couldn't believe the kind of, the brazenness of this tax avoidance or tax evasion. - Oh, yes. Charities. - These records tell a damning story about a religion that's actually run as a multinational corporation and now stands accused of not just breaching its own moral code, but also breaking the law - In a cult, you don't question the leadership. # Catch me Jesus, I'm falling # # Hear me Jesus, I'm calling # - Neville Rochow has made a glittering career out of writing wrongs. But there's one place the barrister never thought he'd be able to find even a hint of illegal activity. And that's inside the Mormon Church. If you had to mount a defence for the way that the church spends its money, how's your defence looking? (CHUCKLES) - Not too good. If it's got a defence, I'd really like to see it forthcoming. Nothing's forthcoming. And the uh` the silence is deafening. (ORGAN MUSIC) - Mormonism, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is a Christian faith founded in the 1820s in New York, and now has its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. The religion is perhaps best known for its missionaries walking the streets, spreading the good word. That's something Neville did before becoming a bishop and along with streets, his wife, the church's representatives to the European Union in Brussels. But in recent years, he lost his faith not just in the religion, but specifically the way it managed its finances. - It's a large set of corporations. That have as a side-line, religion. It cannot justify itself as a religion, because it is profit taking rather than profit distributing. - Unlike followers of most other religions, Mormons are required to hand over 10% of their income in what's known as tithing. How much money do you think you gave the church? - Oh, it'd be in the hundreds of thousands, but it may even be more. But a lot of money. A lot of money. (CHURCH CHOIR SINGS) - In most other Western countries, tithing is tax deductible, but not in Australia. Here, you can only claim a deduction if you give to a charity, not a religion. So the Mormons are exploiting a loophole. They've registered their own charity in Australia and require their members to deposit tithing money in there, instead of giving directly to the church. - It appears to be a giant sham, and this is a sham not by ordinary but by the church in Salt Lake City. (TENSE MUSIC) - Ben Schneiders from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald has calculated that by claiming tithes are actually charitable donations, Australian Mormons have been able to draw on $400 million in tax deductions not lawfully available to followers of other religions. - If you're a Catholic and you go to church and you put money on the on the plate, you don't get a tax deduction for that. Similarly, if you're a Muslim or you're if you're Jewish or what have you, no other religion in Australia gets this tax benefit. But the Mormons have structured themselves in such a way in Australia, that ordinary donations and tithings to a church are given tax deductibility by saying that nearly all this money is spent on charity. - So what's the name of this charitable organisation? It's The Latter Day Saints Charitable Trust Fund. - So where does this rank, alongside other charities in Australia? - According to its accounts, it's one of the biggest charities in Australia, yet it has no public presence in Australia. - That's probably because Latter-Day Saints Charities Australia is in fact a shell company. It seems to only exist on paper. It has no employees, no website, no office and no expenses. Yet its income has skyrocketed since 2014. Coincidentally, that is when tax rules were updated, making it much more lucrative for the church to funnel its donations through a charity - So it's gone from 36,000 to $100 million in a decade. The number of Mormons in Australia in that time has not grown. If anything, it's slightly declined. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) - The alleged tax dodging strategy is even clearer when you look at how much Mormon money is given to charity in Australia compared to the rest of the world. Here, there are just 60,000 Mormons. Yet together, apparently they give $93 million a year to charity. But outside Australia, where tax deductibility for tithing isn't an issue, the church's 16 million members combined give only $25 million a year to charity. That makes Australian Mormons the most generous on the planet. - Why would Australian Mormons completely buck the trend of Mormons in the United States, in Canada, in Britain in New Zealand, and be something like 70 to 100 times more generous? (STAMMERS) It just didn't add up. (INTENSE MUSIC) - The church claims LDS Charities Australia's huge budget is somehow managed by just a handful of local volunteers. But some believe the truth is, it's actually run out of Mormon headquarters in America. And if that's the case, it would be illegal in Australia. - Under Australian law, if you're running a charity like this, you have to be managed or have the majority of your operations managed from Australia. The Church has denied that it's running the Australian operations from Utah, but it seems hard to believe. - Did you feel complicit in this tax scheme? - I felt that if I was silent I would be complicit. # I'm tired of living the same old lie # - Neville Rochow was once tasked by the church to research the tax benefits available to religions, but he now feels sick to think that he may have unknowingly helped the religion avoid paying its way. So, along with another ex-Mormon, Neville lodged a complaint with Australia's charities regulator. However, neither the regulator nor the Tax Office will say whether they are investigating the church, because of privacy laws. - There is tax not being paid that should be paid. And I found that pretty disturbing. - E haere ake nei, uncovering what the church is doing with all this money. # I'm all about money # - I was shocked that there was $100 billion, doing no work of any charitable kind at all. - You won't believe how they're spending it. - They're acting like a big corporation. # I'm all about money # - See you now. Finn, Luke, back me up here! - (ELECTRONIC CHIRPING) - (SIGHS) Guys, Mum put money on. Toya! (ROBOT MUTTERS) (CHAIR WHIRRS, BEEPS) (ROBOT SQUEALS) (CHAIR CHIRPS) (SPRAY HISSES) - Kiri, sunblock on? - Nah. Just kidding. (ALL CHUCKLE) Where you going? (UPBEAT MUSIC) - Hey, hey, hey, hey! No running in the shop, please. Slow down; slow down. (LAUGHTER) - There's only one cone left. (CHAIR WHIRRS) (LAUGHTER) - Ahh! Don't worry. I'll give you half. - Hey, weren't you gonna share some with me? (CRUNCH!) (CHAIR CHIRPS) (CAR BLEEPS) (TRANQUIL MUSIC) (BIRD CALLS) - During their 20 years in The Mormon Church, Sue and Trevor Given never imagined they'd one day be this happy outside it. How's life post-church? - It's quite liberating not being a Mormon anymore. - It's also much cheaper, now that they're free of the obligation to pay tithes, The Mormon membership fees that equate to a hefty portion of their earnings. - I guess people at home would just have to think, what would be 10% of my income over, say, 20 years` it's a lot of money. - Yeah. - But in the end, it wasn't the financial burden that prompted the Givens to leave the church. It was a heartbreaking moment with their youngest son, Nathaniel, in 2009. At 15, he was struggling to accept he was gay, a huge sin in the Mormon faith, and one he felt he could no longer live with. - I got a call saying that my son had been taken to emergency, and that was a huge shock. - Just a tremendous sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. And then when we went to the hospital, I think as a parent, there was a tremendous feeling of failure. - Oh, 100%. Yeah. Yeah. And I think um... I think that was galvanised by my son (INHALES) telling us that he was afraid to um... to come out, because he thought we would not love him anymore. (BIRD CALLS) - The Givens couldn't support a religion that didn't accept their son and left in 2014. They thought they'd seen the absolute worst of the church, until they heard about our investigation into its finances. - They're acting like a big corporation that's reducing its outlays and cheating the taxman. And` and we just thought 'but that's` that's not what the church is meant to be'. It was very hard to reconcile that with our understanding, and certainly the message of Jesus Christ. It's just chalk and cheese. - Our six month investigation has exposed alleged tax avoidance not just in Australia but in the United States as well. There, the church has been funnelling donations into a $100 billion slush fund that's designed to dodge tax and balloon in value. Now that fund, controversially, has tax free status because the Mormons claim it was set up for religious, charitable or educational purposes. But that's hard to believe when you say how the money is really spent. - I was shocked that there was $100 billion doing no work of any charitable kind at all. (MOODY MUSIC) - Barrister Neville Rochow is a whistle-blower who's helped expose the religion's financial fiddling in Australia. He's appalled to know the church has built a gigantic money pit in America, spending billions buying shares in tech companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon, as well as paying to build a glitzy shopping centre in downtown Salt Lake City, where the church is based. - One, two, three! CROWD: Let's go shopping! - The whole scene of Thomas Monson, who was then the president of the church, opening that mall and cutting the ribbon, say, 'let's go shopping'. I mean, how does the` the average African member of the church who is dirt poor, react to a scene like that? Where they go into those areas and say, pay your tithing first before you pay anything else? That is just a wicked doctrine. That is evil. When you've got that amount of money not being deployed to help anyone who is in genuine need. # I'm all about money # # Gotta get money # - The secret stockpile was exposed by a former church member, on a website called Mormon Leaks. The church leadership has long defended the warchest, with prominent Mormon and one time Bishop Mitt Romney saying... What's so evil about saving for a rainy day? - Because the rainy` the rainy day is definitely here. (CHURCH CHOIR SINGS) A lot of people who are suffering could have their suffering alleviated, if instead` instead of diverting those monies into investment, they invested in individuals and families. - What do you think they're saving for? - I heard one explanation was, 'well, when the second coming of Christ comes,' 'we need to have some money for that` for that time.' And I thought, what relevance is money going to come if Jesus Christ, ever comes back? How's 100 billion going to help you? - In statement to us, the church effectively confirmed it is sitting on a huge stockpile of cash, but said the money was for, in its words, 'the singular purpose of inviting and helping people come unto Christ,' adding that this was their divinely appointed mission. (TRUMPET MUSIC) Do you think the church is guilty of fraud? - I do. I do. - Absolutely. - Mm-hm. I might pass on the bun. - You'll pass on the bun? While the government may be slow to act, Trevor and Sue Given are not. They've joined hundreds of other former Mormons in a class action against the church. (SOMBRE PIANO MUSIC) # I gotta find some shelter from the cold and storm # They believe it's time the church's accounts were held to account. - I mean, I'll be just very straightforward. I want my tithing money back. - (CHUCKLES) - I was` I paid it under false pretences. - How do you feel about it all now? - Oh, ripped off. They're just getting richer and richer and richer and not doing anything with the money. - Well here in Aotearoa, according to their most recent annual report, The Latter Day Saints Charity had an income of more than $116 million. They spent just over 5 million on grants, donations and humanitarian expenses. And that's our show for tonight. You can join us on social media. And if you have a story you think we should investigate, contact us at sunday@tvnz.co.nz Thanks for joining us.