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A Church of England priest who created a so-called “cult” within his congregation has been found guilty of raping a woman and sexually assaulting several others. Chris Brain, 69, formerly of Wilmslow in Greater Manchester, was convicted of raping a member of his congregation and four counts of indecent assault involving three other women linked to the Nine O’Clock Service (NOS) in Sheffield during the 1980s and 1990s.
This latest guilty verdict came after a retrial at Inner London Crown Court, following a previous conviction last year where Brain was found guilty of 17 indecent assaults against nine different women. With these recent convictions, Brain now faces a total of 22 sexual offence charges concerning 13 women. He remains in custody as he awaits sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled.
During the proceedings, prosecutors detailed how Brain abused his authority as a priest to target numerous women from the congregation. The Nine O’Clock Service, an innovative worship group attracting hundreds of young people at St Thomas’s church, had devolved into what was described as a “cult.” According to prosecutor Tim Clark KC, members were encouraged to isolate themselves from family and friends, becoming entirely dependent on Brain and fearful of exclusion if they disobeyed him. Several victims testified about being part of a “homebase team,” a group tasked with caring for Brain around the clock, including performing sexual massages.
Brain, who resigned from his priestly role when allegations emerged in 1995, acknowledged sexual contact with some women but insisted it had been consensual. He previously denied abuse in a 1995 BBC One interview, claiming such interactions were rooted in “closeness and affection.” Senior Crown Prosecutor Julie Moss described Brain’s actions as “a disturbing campaign of manipulation and abuse,” emphasizing how victims were isolated emotionally, financially dependent on the group, and led to believe that rejecting Brain’s advances was a personal or spiritual failure. Detective Superintendent Eleanor Welsh of South Yorkshire Police praised the bravery of the women, stating they had waited decades for justice and had courageously recounted their traumatic experiences. Judge Freya Newbury announced that the victims will have an opportunity to provide impact statements during the upcoming sentencing hearing, anticipated to last two days
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