A TEENAGER who vanished a month ago with a religious sect was found yesterday with two of its members in a tent in Hampshire.
Hours after his discovery, Bobby Kelly, 16, pleaded for two other members of the Jesus Christians who refused to tell the High Court where he was to be spared a jail sentence. Susan and Roland Gianstefani, who met Bobby as they were handing out leaflets at a shopping centre in Romford, Essex, on the day he disappeared, were detained two days ago and found guilty of contempt of court.
Although they knew the teenager was at a campsite near Farnborough they kept the information secret for fear that he would be subjected to "forceful means" to "deprogramme" his religious beliefs. Minutes before they were due to be sentenced, Bobby, who was kept in a separate room at the High Court, sent a note through the representative of the Official Solicitor, in whose care he has been placed. It said: "I hope they [the Gianstefanis] don't get into trouble. They were willing to go to prison for me."
Mr Justice Sumner said the pair would be jailed for six weeks for contempt but he was suspending the sentence because Bobby had been found, and because they had eventually revealed his whereabouts. Bobby was made a ward of court after disappearing with the sect. He was discovered by officers from the Metropolitan Police kidnap and specialist investigations unit at Mytchett early yesterday.
The threesome had earlier spent 10 days staying on an official camp site at the Basingstoke Canal Visitors' Centre. The man who booked in said he was Reinhardt Zenner. Susie Porter, who runs the centre, said they had moved out on Tuesday just before police telephoned. She said: "I didn't know where they had gone but I found out that they had moved into woodland. Then plainclothes police turned up and went into the trees." The men found with Bobby were arrested but later released.
Dave McKay, head of the Jesus Christians, last night said he was disappointed that Bobby had not been able to make up his own mind about whether to stay or go. The group has denied that Bobby was brainwashed, saying he left home voluntarily.
