Bert Potter dies

The Herald reports:

Bert Potter, the leader and founder of controversial spiritual commune Centrepoint has died, aged 86.

Potter’s daughter-in-law, Felicity Goodyear-Smith, confirmed Potter died early today.

He had a fall yesterday at a private hospital and was taken to Middlemore Hospital where he continued to deteriorate, became unconscious and died early about 1am.

Centrepoint was opened by Potter in 1977 and at its peak had a permit for 244 fulltime residents. It was shut down in 2000 after some leaders, including Potter, were convicted on sexual abuse and drugs crimes.

Potter was convicted and sentenced in 1990 to 3-1/2 years in jail on drug charges, and in 1992 to 7-1/2 years for indecent assaults on five children, some as young as three and a half.

Five other men were also convicted on charges of indecently assaulting minors, sexually assaulting minors and attempted rape of a minor.

They say if you can’t say something nice about someone who has died, don’t say anything at all so . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .