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The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘I was the most radical ordained vicar there was': Church of England ‘cult' leader defends ‘sensual' contact with followers
A former priest accused of leading an evangelical cult in the Church of England has defended having 'sensual' contact with followers, telling the jury: 'I was the most radical ordained vicar there was.' Christopher Brain, who led the rave-style Nine O-Clock Service (NOS) in Sheffield in the 80s and 90s, allegedly surrounded himself with women who wore lingerie or revealing clothes as part of his 'homebase team' who kept his house 'spotlessly clean'. Jurors at Inner London Crown Court previously heard the women – sometimes referred to as 'the Lycra Lovelies' or 'the Lycra Nuns' – were on a rota to help maintain the home of then-Reverend Brain. The 68-year-old denies one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault relating to 13 women in the church movement between 1981 and 1995. He accepts that he engaged in sexual activity with some of the complainants, but insists that it was consensual. Giving evidence for a second day, he defended the liaisons with members of his congregation when he was married with a young child. He claimed he and his former wife 'were in a pretty much open relationship' and considering splitting up, adding: 'I wasn't a traditional vicar, I was someone on a journey of radical research and experimentation.' The former clergyman, who was fast-tracked for ordination in 1991 after the movement attracted hundreds of younger congregants to the Church of England, previously told the court said he received 'sensual' back massages from women to relieve tension headaches. He claims he resigned from NOS to carry on his work in San Francisco in 1993, two years before the Sheffield church collapsed surrounded by controversy in 1995. Challenged over his contact with congregants on Tuesday, he replied: 'In a traditional setting I don't know. But if you are in a polyamorous community at the front edge of culture in San Francisco and at the heart of the rave movement, then obviously I thought it was OK.' He told the jury he and one complainant – who alleges he raped her at his home in Sheffield in 1983 or 1984 – engaged in 'petting' on a regular basis. He said he and his then-wife were 'pretty open', but if liaisons progressed to full sex it would be cheating. He admitted to having sex with the woman after it 'went too far', but said it was 'absolutely' consensual. 'We were in the bedroom and it just went too far,' he said. 'We started having sex and shortly after that started we stopped.' He said another woman, who accuses him of multiple counts of sexual assault, was 'totally happy with it'. 'It was a club environment' he added. 'It wasn't like a church house it was like a group of musicians living together.' He insisted sexual aggression is 'not my style' and contested his portrayal as some kind of 'lairy' guy. He alleged the liaisons came after trust had been built up over a long period of time. He added: 'I am not the type of guy to try it on, I never have been. It's not part of my character or my belief system.' He said an accusation he simulated a rape scene with one woman 'absolutely didn't happen' and denied a number of other charges, including an allegation he placed a woman's hand on his genitals. Questioned by his lawyer Iain Simkins KC over his appearance in a 1995 BBC documentary on NOS called Everyman, in which he admitted he was 'involved in improper sexual conduct with a number of women', he told the jury he 'over accepted responsibility' in the programme. 'I think it shows I pretty much over accepted responsibility,' he said. 'I massively accepted the responsibility for the bulk of it. Almost single handedly being blamed for everything that seemed to have gone wrong.' He insisted NOS was never a cult and denied he never engaged in a 'sexual healing practise' with female followers, adding: 'The sexual healing trope that is laid all over this case didn't exist.' He described the criminal charges as a 'witch hunt' and said the breakdown of NOS 'basically destroyed my life' in the 90s. The prosecution allege NOS became a 'closed and controlled' group which he used to 'sexually assault a staggering number of women from his congregation'. The eight-week trial continues.
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Man shot dead in north London
A 45-year-old man has been shot dead in north London. Metropolitan Police officers found the victim with gunshot injuries in Dynevor Road, Stoke Newington, in the early hours of Tuesday. A murder investigation has been launched but no arrests have been made. The man's next of kin have been told and a post-mortem examination will take place. Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke said: 'Our team of detectives and forensic specialists are working at pace to establish the full circumstances that led to the tragic death of this man. 'We understand this incident will cause concern within the Stoke Newington community, however we do believe this to be an isolated incident at this stage of the investigation with no wider risk to the general public.' Dynevor Road and parts of Stoke Newington High Street are closed. It is the sixth fatal shooting in London so far this year.
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
British teenager boards flight to Italy without a ticket after losing parents in airport
A British teenager boarded the wrong flight home after being separated from his family at Menorca Airport, Spain and ended up in Italy instead of London yesterday. The 15-year-old's parents lost sight of him and raised the alarm before discovering he had successfully boarded a flight to Milan Malpensa without a ticket after police reviewed CCTV. The boy and his family were meant to fly back from their holiday from the Spanish Balearic Island Menorca with Tui to London Stansted. Local authorities and easyJet staff met the teenager upon arriving in Milan and arranged his mother to fly out to meet him. They have now returned to the UK. A national police spokesperson in Mallorca said: 'Officers checked cameras in the departures area and saw the teenager had managed to get on to a flight to Milan. 'The airport had already activated its missing child alert system but it was deactivated after it was confirmed the lad was on his way to Italy.' An easyJet spokesperson told The Independent:'We have been investigating with the airport and our ground handling provider at Mahon how a young passenger was able to travel unaccompanied on the wrong flight to Milan on 4 August. 'The passenger was met by our team and the local authorities in Milan. We provided travel arrangements for a family member to meet them later that day and remained in touch with the family to offer our support.
