CHURCH LEADER ON TRIAL FOR DECADES OF SEXUAL ABUSE IN SHEFFIELD

A man named Chris Brain, aged 68, is currently on trial at Inner London Crown Court accused of sexually abusing numerous women while leading a church group known as the "Nine O'Clock Service" (NOS) in Sheffield during the 1980s and 1990s. The court has heard that Mr Brain allegedly assaulted 13 women, with charges including 36 counts of indecent assault and one rape. Prosecutors claim that Mr Brain used his position as a leader and an ordained priest to dominate and abuse his victims, making them emotionally dependent and terrified of ostracism. The court was told that he expected the victims to perform sexual favors in his family home and that many women felt they had been "groomed" and "brainwashed". Evidence indicates that some assaults took place during massages at his house, and one woman recounted how he climbed on top of her during an incident recreating a rape scene in a film. In 1995, church leaders confronted Mr Brain after receiving reports that he had placed women on a "rota" to be with him, with one leader estimating up to 40 women had been abused. Mr Brain has admitted in a 1995 BBC documentary to having "improper sexual conduct with a number of women" and resigned his holy orders shortly before the programme aired. The trial has revealed he had also been involved in a cult-like movement where women were recruited to care for him and his family, some of whom were dressed in lingerie and warned of exclusion if they disobeyed him. The court heard he was seen surrounded by attractive women and had used the group's influence to manipulate members. The incidents are alleged to have happened between 1981 and 1995. The case continues with the trial expected to last six to eight weeks.