Former Church of England priest Chris Brain has been convicted of rape and multiple indecent assaults against women associated with Sheffield’s Nine O’Clock Service (NOS).
Brain, 69, was found guilty following a retrial at Inner London Crown Court, according to the BBC.
He was also convicted of four counts of indecent assault against three women, in addition to 17 counts involving nine women for which he was convicted following a separate trial last year.
Prosecutors told the court that Brain used his position as a priest to sexually assault numerous women in his congregation.
The Nine O’Clock Service attracted hundreds of predominantly young worshippers with an unconventional style combining Christian worship with music and elements associated with nightclub culture. It began at St Thomas’s Church in Crookes, Sheffield, before moving to a larger venue at Ponds Forge in the city centre.
Prosecutor Tim Clark told the court that NOS eventually “became a cult,” alleging that members were encouraged to distance themselves from friends and family and became “utterly dependent” on Brain.
Clark said members also feared being ostracised if they challenged or crossed him.
Following the latest convictions, senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Eleanor Welsh described Brain as a “devious and arrogant sexual predator” whose actions had caused lasting harm to the women he abused.