Latest news with #ChristopherBrain
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Woman says she ‘froze' during alleged rape by former Nine O'Clock Service priest
A woman said she 'froze' after she was allegedly pushed down and raped by a former priest accused of sexual offences against 13 women in his congregation, a court heard. Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was leader of the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), part of the Church of England, in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995. Brain denies one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995. The prosecution allege NOS became a cult where Brain abused his position to sexually assault a 'staggering number' of women followers, exerting control over their lives and ostracising them from friends and family. Inner London Crown Court has heard a 'homebase team' was set up to 'care for' Brain – referred to as 'the Lycra Lovelies' or 'the Lycra Nuns' – with witnesses reporting seeing the defendant surrounded by attractive women in lingerie at his home looking after his needs. On Friday, a recorded video interview was played to the court of a woman who has alleged Brain raped and indecently assaulted her. In the interview with police, she said Brain wanted her to go around to 'keep him company' and she said it was early evening. 'It was cold so it wasn't the middle of summer I don't think,' she said. 'I went around straight away, he got me to sit in the front room. 'He persuaded me to have a whiskey. I had a small amount, probably about a single.' After some chatting Brain went upstairs and came down in a suit which was a 'murky greeny browny colour', the woman said, adding that she thought it was 'ugly' but did not say that. She said he then went back upstairs and got changed and came back down and then wanted to show her 'a futon thing in his room'. The woman said she sat down fully clothed, and added she had probably taken her shoes off downstairs at the door. She said 'he sat down beside me and after a short while he pushed me down' so he was 'on top of me'. The woman added that he then started to rape her. She said she was 'putting my head from side to side' and 'saying no', adding: 'And I couldn't get him off me.' The woman said afterwards he made her have a bath downstairs. She said she considered going to the police afterwards but thought 'it would be really traumatic' and she thought she did not want her family to know. Asked by the interviewing officer on the recording if Brain tried to kiss her, the woman replied: 'He had on previous occasions, I can't remember on that occasion.' Asked if she tried to do anything else to try to stop him, the woman said: 'I couldn't stop him, I couldn't push him off me.' She added: 'It was a freeze response, I froze.' The woman also said Brain had been 'grooming' her and 'following me about in his car'. She described it as a 'relentless pursuit'. The woman also said she believes she was 'brain washed' and added she could not go back to her family. Iain Simkin, defending, started cross-examination by saying Brain says he did not rape her, and he says he did not sexually assault her at all. Mr Simkin asked the woman if she had said no during the alleged rape and she said she groaned no. The trial continues.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Woman says she ‘froze' during alleged rape by former Nine O'Clock Service priest
A woman said she 'froze' after she was allegedly pushed down and raped by a former priest accused of sexual offences against 13 women in his congregation, a court heard. Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was leader of the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), part of the Church of England, in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995. Brain denies one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995. The prosecution allege NOS became a cult where Brain abused his position to sexually assault a 'staggering number' of women followers, exerting control over their lives and ostracising them from friends and family. Inner London Crown Court has heard a 'homebase team' was set up to 'care for' Brain – referred to as 'the Lycra Lovelies' or 'the Lycra Nuns' – with witnesses reporting seeing the defendant surrounded by attractive women in lingerie at his home looking after his needs. On Friday, a recorded video interview was played to the court of a woman who has alleged Brain raped and indecently assaulted her. In the interview with police, she said Brain wanted her to go around to 'keep him company' and she said it was early evening. 'It was cold so it wasn't the middle of summer I don't think,' she said. 'I went around straight away, he got me to sit in the front room. 'He persuaded me to have a whiskey. I had a small amount, probably about a single.' After some chatting Brain went upstairs and came down in a suit which was a 'murky greeny browny colour', the woman said, adding that she thought it was 'ugly' but did not say that. She said he then went back upstairs and got changed and came back down and then wanted to show her 'a futon thing in his room'. The woman said she sat down fully clothed, and added she had probably taken her shoes off downstairs at the door. She said 'he sat down beside me and after a short while he pushed me down' so he was 'on top of me'. The woman added that he then started to rape her. She said she was 'putting my head from side to side' and 'saying no', adding: 'And I couldn't get him off me.' The woman said afterwards he made her have a bath downstairs. She said she considered going to the police afterwards but thought 'it would be really traumatic' and she thought she did not want her family to know. Asked by the interviewing officer on the recording if Brain tried to kiss her, the woman replied: 'He had on previous occasions, I can't remember on that occasion.' Asked if she tried to do anything else to try to stop him, the woman said: 'I couldn't stop him, I couldn't push him off me.' She added: 'It was a freeze response, I froze.' The woman also said Brain had been 'grooming' her and 'following me about in his car'. She described it as a 'relentless pursuit'. The woman also said she believes she was 'brain washed' and added she could not go back to her family. Iain Simkin, defending, started cross-examination by saying Brain says he did not rape her, and he says he did not sexually assault her at all. Mr Simkin asked the woman if she had said no during the alleged rape and she said she groaned no. The trial continues.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Ex-'cult' priest who 'sexually assaulted members' held 'disturbing services'
Christopher Brain, 68, is accused of abusing his position as leader of the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS) to sexually assault a 'staggering number' of women followers A former priest accused of sexual offences against 13 women in his congregation led an evangelical movement that held "extremely disturbing" services featuring "young women behaving in what looked like a controlled manner," a court has heard. Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was leader of the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), part of the Church of England, in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995. He has been charged with one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995, all of which he denies. The prosecution allege NOS became a cult where Brain abused his position to sexually assault a "staggering number" of women followers, exerting control over their lives and ostracising them from friends and family. Inner London Crown Court has heard a "homebase team" was set up to "care for" Brain – referred to as "the Lycra Lovelies" or "the Lycra Nuns" – with witnesses reporting seeing the defendant surrounded by attractive women in lingerie at his home looking after his needs. Mark Stibbe was a curate of St Thomas's Church in Sheffield when NOS was holding services there. Giving evidence on Wednesday, he said there was "concern" about the direction NOS was taking and discussion about Brain and what was going on at his home. He told the court: "I remember one church administrator or finance officer at St Thomas's who was like an old school army man and he brought up the negative optics, potentially anyway, of scantily clad, lycra-wearing pretty young women as he put it coming to and from Chris Brain's house on a regular basis to perform 'domestic duties'." The witness said the man got a "roasting" for asking whether there was "anything untoward" about it and that others at St Thomas's felt that if the church's vicar, Robert Warren, was not going to intervene then junior clergy had no business doing so. He said it did not appear to him that Reverend Warren was able to control Brain. He also recalled there was "a lot of controversy" over the Greenbelt Christian arts festival "into which NOS had poured many hours and many thousands of pounds." Dr Stibbe moved to another church in 1993 but attended a NOS service once it had moved to a new location in Ponds Forge after a member of his congregation expressed concerns to him about it. Of his visit, he said: "My view at the time was that it was extremely disturbing and that my friend who had said it was disturbing was correct. The reason I found it disturbing is that the things that had been reported from the Greenbelt Festival about girls gyrating in scantily clad costume in a worship context, that is what I was seeing in this context." Asked if he thought the women were willing participants, he told jurors: "This is the thing that concerns me. I couldn't tell. In a progressive culture… it seemed to me to be a graphic, vivid contradiction to have young women behaving in what looked like a controlled manner." Earlier the court heard from Rev Warren who said allegations that emerged about Brain's abuse "came as a total shock," although he admitted he had a sense of "cult-like elements" emerging in NOS. Asked while giving evidence over a video link to explain what kinds of behaviour he saw, he said: "Just a sort of controlling of people and a focus on Chris Brain almost as a sort of guru." He added: "I think it was a sense of deference to Chris Brain that if you asked people about the service they would always say, well what Chris thinks is or what Chris wants is. With the other services I wouldn't get that sort of response." The reverend said if NOS had continued to hold services at St Thomas's he expects that behaviour would have become clearer and he would have done something about it. He told the court that NOS had 400 regular worshippers when it left St Thomas's and at one stage there was a mass confirmation service of 93 members of NOS – "the largest group that we had ever confirmed in one church." He agreed that NOS was exciting and innovative for the Church of England and that it could engage young people in ways the church was until then failing to do, incorporating "rave" culture and music as part of worship. "Some people who were at that service would come from 20 or 30 miles away because they found the service so inspiring," he said. The witness also told jurors that NOS functioned independently financially from St Thomas's, and that NOS contributed to payments to Brain as a "lay leader" and then as a priest once he was ordained. The trial continues.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Priest who wore Robert De Niro's robes from film The Mission sexually assaulted a 'staggering' number of women in congregation, court hears
A church leader abused his position to sexually assault a 'staggering' number of women in his congregation, a court heard. Christopher Brain led the evangelical Nine O'Clock Service (NOS) and had such a hold over the Church of England that it was arranged for him to wear Robert De Niro 's robes from the film The Mission at his ordination. The 68-year-old, who ran the service in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995, had a team of young women dressed in lingerie, referred to as the 'Lycra Nuns,' tend to his needs at home, jurors heard. His organisation became a cult whose members were encouraged to separate themselves from loved ones and became dependant on Brain, Tim Clark KC, prosecuting, said. He then sexually assaulted a number of them, including one woman just hours after she had spent helping relatives identify the bodies of loved ones killed in the Hillsborough tragedy, he added. Brain, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, is accused of one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995 against 13 women. Opening his trial at Inner London Crown Court, Mr Clark said NOS presented itself to the outside world as a progressive force for good. 'In truth NOS became a closed and controlled group which the defendant dominated and abused his position first as a leader and then as an ordained priest to sexually assault a staggering number of women from his congregation,' he added. The church initially viewed NOS as a success story and fast-tracked Brain's ordination in 1991 despite concerns from his own personal tutor, the court heard. 'At his ordination, signs of grandiose self-regard were already present,' Mr Clark said. 'Large sums of money were spent finding the robes worn by the actor Robert De Niro in the movie 'The Mission' for the defendant to wear at his ordination.' Bishop Stephen Lowe, a senior member of the Church of England at the time, voiced concerns to the then Bishop of Sheffield after he was told that Brain had a rota of woman who helped 'put him to bed' – an exercise which allegedly involved sexual favours. There was then a confrontation in which Brain was told it was believed he had abused up to 40 women, the court heard. Mr Clark said Brain replied: 'I thought it was more.' Some members of the congregation were persuaded to give up their inheritance, their jobs and their homes, the court heard. 'They were encouraged to give up their time, finances and, eventually, their sense of self to this organisation and its leader,' Mr Clark said. Brain set up a 'homebase team' also known as the 'Lycra Lovelies' or 'Lycra Nuns' to care for him at home and massage him before he went to sleep, jurors were told. 'They were noted to be wearing lingerie or otherwise revealing clothing whilst apparently employed to look after the needs of the defendant,' Mr Clark said. TV programmes were made and books written about NOS after allegations were made in 1995 around Brain's behaviour, the court heard. Brain appeared in one of the documentaries and made admissions to the filmmaker of sexual contact with a number of the female members of NOS, jurors were told. 'It is the Crown's case that the women named on the indictment who were involved in sexual acts with the defendant did not consent to those acts,' Mr Clark said. 'Any capacity they had to consent had been removed by the domineering nature of the defendant, by his control over their entire lives and by their absolute terror of being ostracised and that's what he intended.' The court heard Brain accepts he engaged in sexual activity with some of the complainants but that it was consensual. The prosecutor said: 'In short, the defence case appears to be, to quote from the Life Of Brian, Brian Cohen's mother: 'He's not the Messiah, he's just a very naughty boy'. 'The Crown state it was more than that, the defendant created the atmosphere that allowed him to abuse a series of women.' One complainant, whose top was taken off by Brain when she was upset, was told she would be failing as a Christian if she failed to submit to him, the court heard. Another woman told police that she returned home at 6am after helping relatives at the mortuary immediately after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. 'She said the defendant came to her house and climbed into her bed, he started touching her and praising her whilst they lay still,' Mr Clark said. 'She can't now remember where he touched her but all she could remember was his hands being all over her. She had not she said consented to this happening.' Brain denies the 37 charges against him and the trial continues.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Ex-priest assaulted ‘staggering number' of women in ‘cult' church group
A former priest sexually assaulted a 'staggering number' of female members of an alleged cult church group he led, exerting control over their lives and ostracising them from friends and family, a court has heard. Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was leader of the evangelical movement the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), part of the Church of England, in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995. Brain sat in the dock at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday for the opening of his trial in which he is accused of one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995 against 13 women. Prosecutor Tim Clark KC told jurors that the NOS group was aimed at younger people and 'presented itself to the outside world as a progressive force for good'. 'In truth NOS became a closed and controlled group which the defendant dominated and abused his position first as a leader and then as an ordained priest to sexually assault a staggering number of women from his congregation,' he alleged. The church initially viewed NOS as a success story, the prosecutor told jurors, with Brain's ordination appearing to be fast-tracked despite 'concerns' from the defendant's personal tutor. 'At his ordination, signs of grandiose self regard were already present,' Mr Clark said. The court heard large sums of money were spent finding the robes worn by Robert De Niro in the movie The Mission for Brain to don at his ordination. Bishop Stephen Lowe, who was a senior member of the Church of England when NOS was being established, raised issues with the then Bishop of Sheffield after a woman approached him in 1995 and told him of women who had been put onto a rota to help Brain get to bed, which involved sexual favours. There was a confrontation with Brain in which the defendant was told it was believed he had abused up to 40 women, the court heard. Mr Clark said Brain replied: 'I thought it was more.' The prosecutor said evidence will show NOS became a cult where members were encouraged to separate themselves from their families and friends, even those loved ones involved in the group, and ultimately became 'dependent' on NOS and 'desperate for the attention and praise' of its leader, Brain. 'They were encouraged to give up their time, finances and, eventually, their sense of self to this organisation and its leader,' Mr Clark said. The court heard some members gave up their inheritances and others their homes. The prosecutor said those deemed insufficiently faithful and co-operative were ostracised from the group, and members became 'terrified' of being excluded. The court heard a 'homebase team' was set up to 'care for' Brain who were referred to as 'the Lycra Lovelies' or 'the Lycra Nuns'. 'The defendant was seen by a number of witnesses to be surrounded by attractive women at his home,' Mr Clark told jurors. 'They were noted to be wearing lingerie or otherwise revealing clothing whilst apparently employed to look after the needs of the defendant.' The prosecutor also said that Brain would 'suddenly appear' in the lives of female members of NOS, 'often picking them up in his car whilst they were walking along'. Women who did not keep the defendant happy would find themselves estranged from the group, Mr Clark said. TV programmes were made and books written about NOS after some allegations were made in 1995 around Brain's alleged abuse of position, the court heard. Brain appeared in one of the documentaries and made admissions to the filmmaker of sexual contact with a number of the female members of NOS, jurors were told. 'It is the Crown's case that the women named on the indictment who were involved in sexual acts with the defendant did not consent to those acts,' Mr Clark said. 'Any capacity they had to consent had been removed by the domineering nature of the defendant, by his control over their entire lives and by their absolute terror of being ostracised and that's what he intended. 'It is the Crown's case that the complainants in this case either expressly made it clear that they did not consent to the sexual acts with which the defendant is accused or that there was no real legal consent due to the cult-like domineering nature of the defendant's control over them. 'At best, many of the complainants in this case the Crown say merely submitted to the defendant's actions but they did not, in law, consent to them. Their will had been overborne.' The court heard Brain accepts he engaged in sexual activity with some of the complainants but that it was consensual. The prosecutor said: 'In short, the defence case appears to be, to quote from the Life Of Brian, Brian Cohen's mother: 'He's not the Messiah, he's just a very naughty boy'. 'The Crown state it was more than that, the defendant created the atmosphere that allowed him to abuse a series of women.' The prosecutor gave an overview of the alleged offences, relaying accounts from complainants who made various claims – including that Brain groomed them, would touch them during massages and re-enacted a film scene involving rape or sexual abuse over clothes. Jurors heard one complainant was kissed by the defendant when she was upset and that she took her top off when he told her to and he started massaging her. '(She) said that she felt if she didn't act in this manner she would be failing as a Christian,' Mr Clark said. 'It was central to her that the defendant was a 'man of God' whom she couldn't question. She said now looking back on it that the reality was that she was 'terrified' of him.' Another complainant recalled Brain criticising her for having friends outside of church, telling her she was a 'lamb skipping into a den of wolves' whenever she was with such friends, the court heard. A different woman described Brain as a 'Jekyll and Hyde character', jurors were told. A further complainant told police about an incident which occurred after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 when she helped relatives who attended the mortuary to identify their loved ones, the court heard. 'She found her involvement in that understandably traumatic, she didn't get home until 6am the next day,' Mr Clark said. 'She said the defendant came to her house and climbed into her bed, he started touching her and praising her whilst they lay still. 'She can't now remember where he touched her but all she could remember was his hands being all over her. She had not she said consented to this happening.' Jurors had been warned by the judge to cast emotion aside after the full list of charges was read to them ahead of the opening. Judge Freya Newbery said: 'It may be that what you have heard has initially upset you or perhaps revolted you or touched a nerve of some sort. 'Any emotion that you feel, it really needs to be put to one side while you focus on your crucial work as a jury.' Brain denies the 37 charges against him and the trial continues.
