Priest ‘sexually assaulted staggering number of women’ in ‘cult’ church group

A priest who ran a Church of England ‘cult’ sexually assaulted a ‘staggering’ number of women in his congregation, a court heard.

Christopher Brain, now 68, surrounded himself with women in lingerie who were expected to ‘put him to bed’, jurors were told.

The evangelical priest led the influential movement, Nine O’Clock Service (NOS), led by in Sheffield in the 1980s and 1990s.

Brain is on trial at Inner London Crown Court for 36 indecent assaults and one rape against 13 women. He denies all the charges.

Prosecutor Tim Clark KC said NOS, once celebrated for its nightclub-style services, ‘presented itself to the outside world as a progressive force for good’.

Brain’s ordination as a priest was accelerated in 1991 because the group had attracted hundreds of young people to its congregation, he added.

Clark painted a different picture of the group to the court, saying: ‘In truth, NOS became a closed and controlled group which the defendant dominated and abused his position first as a leader and then as an ordained priest to sexually assault a staggering number of women from his congregation.’

The young people who joined NOS were soon encouraged to cut off family members and become ‘desperate for the attention and praise’ of leader Brain, jurors heard.

Clark added: ‘They were encouraged to give up their time, finances and, eventually, their sense of self to this organisation and its leader,’ Mr Clark said.’

Members gave up their inheritances and were terrified of being excluded from the group, it was alleged in court.

The prosecutor said the group became a cult around Brain and had a ‘home base team’ to ‘care for’ its leader.

Clark told jurors: ‘The defendant was seen by a number of witnesses to be surrounded by attractive women at his home.

‘They were noted to be wearing lingerie or otherwise revealing clothing whilst apparently employed to look after the needs of the defendant.’

A number of the alleged assaults took place as the women gave Brain massages at his home.

One woman thought the massages, which allegedly included stroking and kissing, were all part of Brain’s ‘mission’ of ‘developing their sexuality’, the court heard.

The same alleged victim recounted to police how Brain had suddenly climbed on top of her to reenact a rape scene in a film they had been watching, saying he ‘liked that bit’, jurors were told.

One alleged victim was told by the ‘cult’ leader he was helping her ‘heal from her sexual repression’, the court heard.

Clark said that women who did not keep the defendant happy would be estranged from the group.

The prosecutor added: ‘It is the Crown’s case that the women named on the indictment who were involved in sexual acts with the defendant did not consent to those acts.

NOS came under the spotlight in the 1990s after allegations were made in 1995 around Brain’s alleged abuse of power, the court heard.

Prosecutors said TV programmes were made and books were written about the group.

Jurors also heard that Brain admitted in a BBC documentary in 1995 to having ‘improper sexual conduct with a number of women’.

NOS’s leader resigned his holy orders two days before the programme was aired.

The court heard Brain would likely claim that any sexual contact with the women was consensual.

The prosecutor said: ‘In short, the defence case appears to be, to quote from the Life Of Brian, Brian Cohen’s mother: “He’s not the Messiah, he’s just a very naughty boy”.

‘The Crown state it was more than that, the defendant created the atmosphere that allowed him to abuse a series of women.’

Brain denies the 37 charges against him. The trial continues.