'Cult' priest found guilty of rape and sexual assault of congregation members
Former Church of England priest Chris Brain has been convicted of raping a woman and of four indecent assaults against three other women who belonged to a religious group he ran in Sheffield. He had already been convicted of 17 similar offences at an earlier trial.
At a retrial held at Inner London Crown Court, 69-year-old former priest Chris Brain was found guilty of raping a woman from his congregation. He was also convicted of four counts of indecent assault against three other women connected to the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), a religious group Brain led at St Thomas's church in Sheffield during the 1980s and 1990s.
This marks the second trial against Brain — he had already been convicted at an earlier trial of 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women. Brain, formerly of Wilmslow in Greater Manchester, remains in custody ahead of sentencing, which will take place at a later date.
A 'cult' within the congregation
Prosecutor Tim Clark KC told the court that Brain had abused his position as a priest to sexually assault "a staggering number of women" from his congregation. NOS had once drawn hundreds of young people with its nightclub-style worship services at St Thomas's church, but it evolved into what Clark described as a cult, where members were encouraged to cut ties with family and friends, becoming utterly dependent on Brain and living in fear of being ostracised if they crossed him.
Following the latest convictions, South Yorkshire Police described Brain as a "devious and arrogant sexual predator who caused lasting harm to these women".
This is a developing story and further details are expected to follow.
