24
November 13, 2011
EXCLUSIVE ROTTEN REVEREND
SHOT DEAD: bin Laden
SEAL book
contradicts
Osama ‘hit’
BY MIKE PARKER
EVERY member of the
elite US Navy SEAL team
that “took out” al Qaeda
leader Osama bin Laden is
being quizzed by military
chiefs over a sensational
new book.
The book, written by a
former commander of now
famous SEAL Team Six,
has enraged Pentagon
chiefs because of claims
which contradict official
government versions.
In Seal Target Geronimo,
Chuck Pfarrer insists bin
Laden was killed within 90
to 120 seconds, not after a
45 minute shoot-out.
He also claims that one
of the team’s Black Hawk
helicopters crashed
AFTER dropping SEALs
onto the roof of the
terrorist leader’s
compound in Pakistan.
Pfarrer writes: “As Razor
1 hovered, the down blast
of its rotors poured a
hurricane into the narrow
space of bin Laden’s
terrace, hurling plastic
chairs against the window.
Violent
“A violent gust of air
hammered the sliding
glass doors and the
curtains next to the open
doors flailed into the room,
pulling the curtain rods off
the wall as they fell.”
The SEALs’ arrival had a
terrifying effect on bin
Laden who “threw back
the blanket from his bed.
He tried to put his feet on
the floor and he could feel
the house shake.”
Pfarrer, who refuses to
name the Team Six
members he interviewed,
confirms that the al Qaeda
leader tried to cower
behind one of his wives
before he was “taken out.”
But he says his sources
are “adamant” that Team
Six entered the complex
from the third floor and
did not carry out the attack
from the ground up, as the
White House has asserted.
Publication of his book
has been delayed in both
America and the UK for
several weeks while a legal
team examines its contents
in detail.
in
A STRIP club
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range of scenarried men
m
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when they te out sailing,
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’CULT’ PASTOR
TEXAS MONEY
AND RUNS
ALL SMILES: Sanford and his wife Heather
‘God tells Rolex-wearing preacher to move to States’ as
he cons flock out of thousands and leaves €160k debt
A Rolex-wearing church minister accused of being a cult
leader is quitting the country
leaving behind massive debts.
ing years for Heather,” said one former
member.”
Latest figures for Abundant Life, which
is a registered charity, showed its income
in 2009 was nearly €450,000, almost all
from members’’ donations.
Figures uncovered by the Sunday World
also revealed Sanford, an ex-US marine,
earned nearly €70,000 from his US charity, Kevin Sanford Ministries, last year.
The Sanfords also took extensive
expenses from Abundant Life.
Kevin Sanford and his wife
Heather, who wears a €10,000 diamond ring, told their ‘Abundant
Life’ church in Galway that “God
has told us to move to Texas”.
Sanford was taken to court earlier
this year by a landlord who claimed he
was owed €80,000 for 18 months rent
arrears for the church on the top floor
of Tower House in Galway.
The High Court ordered Sanford to pay
nearly €160,000 in rent, penalties, interest
and court costs. Even though he won the
case in March, landlord Owen Heffernan
has not seen one cent of the money.
Instead of coughing up, the American
Sanfords have announced they are quitting the country, leaving behind their
church of 15 years.
Beautiful
The couple, who arrived in Ireland with
nothing, live with their four children in a
beautiful
five-bedroom
home
in
Craughwell, south Galway.
They also own a villa near Alicante,
Spain, which they bought after telling
supporters that Heather suffered from a
condition which required six weeks of
sunshine every year.
Abundant Life members pay a “tithe” of
at least ten per cent of their earnings to
the evangelical church. Some families
have donated €50,000 to €60,000.
Now, in a farewell letter to supporters,
which the Sunday World has in its possession, brazen Sanford said the move to
America would be “very expensive” and
pleaded: “We would like to ask everyone
we know to consider helping us.”
Former members of Abundant Life have
told this newspaper how their lives were
taken over by the church which they
described as a cult.
Heather Sanford has surrounded herself
with a team of devoted, mostly single
women who do all the cleaning, cooking,
washing and babysitting. Some travel to
Spain with her to do the chores there.
Abundant Life has huge similarities to
the King of Kings church in Tuam, which
Millionaire
HAPPY FAMILY: Kevin Sanford pictured with his wife Heather and their children
“People were donating and assumed the
rent was being paid but it wasn’t.”
At its peak three years ago Abundant
Life had 250 members but that has now
dropped to 100.
Former American
intern
Kenny
Sabourin told the Sunday World this week
how he was abused, bullied and manipuwe exposed as a cult last year.
lated by the “tyrant” couple when he was
Former members of that church, run by just 18 and straight out of school.
Mary and Ossie Sheridan, have joined
He was expected to work 50 to 70 hours
Abundant Life.
a week, cleaning bathrooms, washing dishBoth churches preach the “prosperity es, emptying bins and running errands.
gospel”, telling followers that whatever they
“Heather was always making you feel
give to their pastors now will be returned by like garbage,” said Kenny.
God many times over in years to come.
“She said the kingdom of God wasn’t for
“Kevin boasted from the pulpit about lazy people even though I was working for
buying his wife a €10,000 diamond ring nothing seven days a week..”
for their tenth anniversary,” said one forHe said Heather once ordered him to
mer member. “He said God had blessed wrap Christmas presents for her children
him so much he was able to do it – and but described his work as “disgraceful
bring his wife on a trip on the Orient and an abomination”. “She always made
Express for the same anniversary.”
me feel like the most pathetic human
The ex-member said if followers cut being in the world.
back their donations the two pastors
“The only work she did was ordering
would demand to know why.
people around.”
Kevin Sanford would tell them: “The
When he got sick, Kenny said she
amount you give shows how much your ordered him to get up and pray to Jesus to
heart is in it. Your heart is connected to be healed so he could get back to work.
your wallet.”
Abundant Life was particularly aimed
He said every sermon began with a long at women, who made up nearly 70 per
message about the need to give.
cent of the church, former followers
“Heather would also say €200 was need- claimed. Relationships between members
ed for the phone bill or that they had fall- were not encouraged as it would distract
en behind with the rent for the church. from “God’s work”.
They begged for money.
“Some women gave up their child-bear-
The Sanfords told their congregation
two weeks ago they would be leaving at
the end of December. They are currently
in El Paso, Texas, where
they are setting up a
new church.
The couple introduced
Brendan and Sheila
Hade from Dublin’s
1,000-strong
Victory
Church as their new pastors.
Hade is a businessman
whose church made a fortune from government contracts supplying accommodation for refugees. He was
also a director of Abundant
Life from 2001 to 2003.
He is in the High Court this
week where he is being sued
by three businessmen who
claim they were ripped off.
Hade is expected to run the
Galway church along with his Dublin
operation.
Owen Heffernan, the church's former
landlord, said: “I don't want to say anything because I am still hoping to get my
money back. It's a lot of money.”
Mike Garde, of cult-busting organisation
Dialogue Ireland, said: “We were alerted
to this church nearly 10 years ago.
“We have been assisting individuals
who have come out of this group; people
whose marriages have been affected or
whose finances have broken down.”
“Abundant Life, King of Kings and
Victory represent the same goal of religion attached to financial gain.”
An Abundant Life spokeswoman said
nobody was available to comment. Phone
calls and emails to the Sanfords in
America went unanswered.
jim.gallagher@sundayworld.com