PAPUA New Guinea's infamous "Black Jesus" cult leader has been found guilty of raping young "flower girls" who belonged to his sect.
PNG's Madang National Court on Wednesday found failed Lutheran pastor Steven Tari, known as Black Jesus, guilty of four counts of rape, with sentencing to come later this month.
Tari made international news when captured and arrested in March 2007 after eluding police for more than a year by moving from village to village or hiding in remote mountain camps in the Transgogol area of Madang province, on PNG's northeast coast.
Tari had thousands of village followers, including a core of armed warriors to protect him, in what is commonly referred to in PNG as a "cargo cult".
As part of his "culture ministry" Tari preached the young girls were to be "married" to him as it was God's prophecy.
At the time of his arrest, there were widespread allegations his cult also practised cannibalism and sacrificial blood rituals, but police only charged him for rape.
Judge David Cannings found Tari guilty of four counts of rape from the six charges relating to five women.
PNG's Post Courier newspaper reported Tari admitted to sexually penetrating the young women, but denied it was done without consent.
In 2008, Tari spoke to AAP from Madang's Boen prison, where the cult leader was in the maximum security wing on remand.
Tari defended his practice of sleeping with young girls who joined his cult.
"I got plenty, 430 (girls)," he told AAP at the time.
"What I did ... is under and in line with my religion. It was religious and was not wrong.
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