‘Rave church' leader had late-night massages with female followers

Times

3 days ago

A former Anglican priest accused of sexually assaulting 'a staggering number of women' told a court how he had late night massages as a way of enjoying closeness with female followers.
Chris Brain, 68, who led the radical Nine O'Clock Service (NOS) in Sheffield in the 1980s and 1990s, told Inner London crown court the movement was a radical experiment in religion which embraced the club culture of the time.
He was asked by his defence counsel, Iain Simkin KC, 'why on earth' as a married Church of England minister he was having repeated massages from a group of women.
Brain replied: 'Why not?'
NOS was widely admired by Church of England leaders who saw it as a successful way of attracting younger congregations to religion. They were so impressed that Brain's ordination as a priest was fast-tracked.
At the height of its success, Brain said NOS had ambitious plans to expand its rave-style services to California, won financial backing from Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, and was expecting support from Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead.
But the movement collapsed in 1995 amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Almost three decades later, former NOS members made complaints to police, leading to an investigation and criminal charges.
Brain, 68, denies one count of rape and 36 charges of indecent assault involving 13 women who were members of NOS.
The prosecution alleges the women were unable to freely consent to repeated sexual contact with Brain because he was a domineering figure who ran NOS as a cult. The women feared that if they rejected Brain, they would be ostracised.
Brain denied that he was a 'controlling maniac' who exercised huge power over the lives of NOS members including their finances, their marriages and their working lives.
While he was leading NOS, Brain had the support of a 'homebase team' of young women who looked after him, his wife, their baby daughter and the family dog. The women were referred to as 'the Lycra lovelies' because they wore tight black clothing and lingerie while doing their duties.
Brain said he did not tell the women what to wear. 'At that time in the late Eighties everybody was obsessed with fashion and what to wear,' he said. 'I wasn't prescribing what to wear, it was completely normal for that era and that place'.
He said some team members gave him massages late at night but this was not part of their duties. The practice developed because he suffered tension headaches but Brain conceded the contact often became sexual.
Brain said he was 'celebrating sexuality' and exploring ideas from kundalini yoga of using 'sexual energy to enhance the whole of life'.
Asked how often the massages became sexual, Brain said: 'Very, very rarely, with very close friends it might edge towards that, but both parties knew it shouldn't go there so one of us would pull back again and cool down.
'It worked, having closeness with friends. It was a great way to get close to friends whilst not involving direct sexual contact. And of course, I was married.'
He added: 'This was the peak of the rave boom, it was club culture and we were holding onto that as much as we could. It was a very touchy environment.'
The NOS movement had emerged from a Christian rock band, Tense, which was part of the Sheffield music scene. Brain said the members of the band formed a fellowship group because they felt alienated from the traditional Anglican congregation, which was more 'like a fancy golf club'.
The trial continues.