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Telegraph
6 days ago
- Telegraph
Priest ‘ran abuse cult surrounded by lingerie-wearing Lycra Nuns'
A former priest who ran a cult surrounded by beautiful, lingerie-wearing 'Lycra Nuns' used his position to abuse a 'staggering number of women', a court has heard. Chris Brain, 68, led a group in the 1980s and 1990s in Sheffield called the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS) in which he was viewed by his alleged victims as a God-like 'prophet' whom they 'worshipped'. The evangelical church movement, which was aimed at young people with the use of multimedia and live music, held its 'visually stunning' services on Sundays at 9pm. Jurors heard how Mr Brain had his ordination licence 'fast-tracked' because Church of England officials viewed his organisation as 'a success story'. Mr Brain, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, is standing trial accused of committing sexual offences against 13 women. He denies one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995. At the opening of the trial at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday, Tim Clark KC, prosecuting, told how the NOS presented itself as a 'progressive force for good' involved with the local community and in environmental concerns. He added: '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. 'Any capacity [his alleged victims] 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.' His alleged victims described the NOS as full of 'brainwashing', 'grooming', 'mind games' and abuse. It was formed in the 1980s after Mr Brain and his wife moved to Sheffield when she became a student at the city's university. He had a Christian rock band, Present Tense, which evolved into NOS at St Thomas Church in the Crookes area of the city. The organisation later moved to larger premises at Ponds Forge in the city centre as it became more successful. It was set to expand to California when Mr Brain's alleged victims approached senior church figures in 1995. The court heard how NOS evolved into a cult in which new members were 'vetted', organised into 'discipleship groups', isolated from their loved ones, and 'were encouraged to give up their time, finances and, eventually, their sense of self to this organisation and its leader' leaving them feeling like they could never leave. Mr Clark told the court how Mr Brain surrounded himself with an inner circle of beautiful 'young women who were very scantily dressed' and sometimes referred to as 'the Lycra Lovelies' or 'the Lycra Nuns' who were enlisted to 'care for' him as part of a 'home base team'. These attractive, young women 'were noted to be wearing lingerie or otherwise revealing clothing whilst apparently employed to look after the needs of the defendant' who would allegedly demand massages, during which he would become aroused and assault the women. The prosecutor also said that Mr Brain would suddenly appear in the lives of female members of NOS, 'often picking them up in his car whilst they were walking along'. One female congregant, who believes she was brainwashed by the former priest, alleged that he invited her to his home while his wife was away in 1983 or 1984, where he pinned her down and raped her. 'She recalls moving her head from side to side and saying 'no',' Mr Clark told jurors. 'She said his weight was too great for her to be able to move him off her. She felt that she froze.' Jurors heard how another alleged victim told how she 'had to be available' to put Mr Brain 'to bed', during which he would undress and rub himself against her as she massaged him wearing only her underwear. 'She described going into a 'robotic' state doing this,' Mr Clark said. 'She dreaded receiving his phone calls'. Mr Clark said Mr Brain claimed that 'by women having a sexual connection with him, they would have their sexuality released and that would end the patriarchy'. The court also heard that Bishop Stephen Lowe, a former Archdeacon of Sheffield when NOS was being established, raised issues with the then Bishop of Sheffield after he was told in 1995 that women had been put onto a rota to help the former priest 'get to bed'. There was a confrontation with Mr Brain in which he was told it was believed he had abused up to 40 women, the court heard. Mr Clark said Mr Brain replied: 'I thought it was more.' The court also heard that Mr Brain's ordination in December 1991 'appears to have been fast-tracked despite the concerns of his personal tutor' and that 'there is clear evidence that others in NOS helped the defendant to get through the academic elements involved in being ordained'. 'Success story' Mr Clark told the court that it is clear that the Church of England 'initially viewed NOS as a success story', and that 'at his ordination, signs of grandiose self regard were already present'. Large sums of money were spent finding the robes worn by Robert De Niro in the movie, The Mission, for Mr Brain to wear at the ceremony. The prosecutor said evidence will show NOS became a cult where members were encouraged to ostracise themselves from their families and friends, and ultimately became dependent on the movement, terrified of being excluded and 'desperate for the attention and praise' of its leader. One alleged victim said of Mr Brain that 'he would manipulate her, pull her into his orbit and then push her away. She soon saw that this was how he dealt with everyone, keeping people spinning, playing people against each other', Mr Clark said. The court heard how, for many alleged victims, NOS became their 'entire life' and that those who were deemed to be 'insufficiently faithful and co-operative' were ostracised from the organisation. Some members contributed large sums of money to the organisation or gave up their inheritances or their homes – including one who provided 10 per cent of her benefits income to the NOS as a tithe – while others 'acted as if they were in love' with Mr Brain, with alleged victims telling how they were encouraged to distance themselves from their loved ones because 'the church of God was their family now'. Jurors heard how in 1995 a BBC documentary was made about NOS and that the reasons for its collapse was because Mr Brain had allegedly behaved in a sexually inappropriate way with a number of women. In the programme, Mr Brain admitted being 'involved in improper sexual conduct with a number of women', and he told of a meeting with the then Archbishop of Canterbury elect, Dr George Carey, who said he would be happy to see a NOS 'in every town and city in the country'. The trial continues.
The Independent
6 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.
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
Sheffield priest assaulted 'staggering number' of women, court told
A priest who led a "cult" within the Church of England sexually assaulted a "staggering" number of women in his congregation, a court Brain expected victims to "put him to bed" with "sexual favours" in the bedroom of his family home, jurors in his trial were Tim Clark KC said the women lived in "absolute terror of being ostracised" from the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), an influential evangelical church movement led by Mr Brain in Sheffield in the 1980s and Brain, 68, now of Park Road in Wilmslow, Cheshire, is on trial at Inner London Crown Court for 36 indecent assaults and one rape against 13 women. He denies all the charges. NOS was initially lauded by Church of England leaders for its "ground-breaking" services which incorporated live music and multimedia to attract young people to St Thomas Church, Mr Clark told the jury as he opened the prosecution's case on he said the group "became a cult" in which members were encouraged to cut themselves off from family and friends, leaving them "utterly dependent" on NOS and "desperate for the attention and praise" of its leader Mr Brain. The jury heard some young women who joined the movement were recruited to a team which looked after Mr Brain, his wife and their daughter in their Sheffield home, where the defendant was "surrounded by attractive women" wearing lingerie or other revealing woman who joined the team - referred to as "the Lycra lovelies" or "the Lycra nuns" - told a police interview she was warned she would be excluded if she disobeyed Mr Brain would also "suddenly appear" beside female members as they walked in the street and ask them to get into his car, the jury Clark said: "Those who did not keep the defendant happy would find themselves estranged from the group - this was incredibly disconcerting to young impressionable women who had become emotionally dependent on NOS and, as a result, highly vulnerable."The prosecutor said "any capacity to consent" to sexual acts with Mr Brain was "removed by the domineering nature of the defendant, by his control over their entire lives and by their absolute terror of being ostracised".The alleged offences are said to have taken place between 1981 and trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks, continues. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Church of England priest led cult and sexually abused a ‘staggering number of women', jury told
A priest once hailed for his 'groundbreaking' services became the leader of a cult in the Church of England and sexually abused a 'staggering' number of women, a court heard. Christopher Brain, who led the progressive Nine O-Clock Service (NOS) in Sheffield in the 80s and 90s, surrounded himself with women who wore lingerie or revealing clothes as part of his 'homebase team', jurors at Inner London Crown Court were told. The court heard the women – sometimes referred to as the 'the Lycra Lovelies' or 'the Lycra Nuns' – were on a rota to help then-Reverend Brain get to bed and this included performing sexual favours, a Bishop was told by a whistleblower in 1995. When Mr Brain was confronted at the time over claims he had abused up to 40 women, he replied: 'I thought it was more', the court heard. He resigned from holy orders in November that year. Appearing in the dock wearing purple shirt on Tuesday, Mr Brain is accused of one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault relating to 13 women between 1981 and 1995. Opening the prosecution's case, Tim Clark KC said that the Church of England initially viewed NOS as a success story and Mr Brain was fast-tracked for ordination. '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 told the jury. Mr Clark said NOS became a cult in which members, who were vetted and organised into 'discipleship' groups, were isolated from their friends and families. 'Members of NOS became utterly dependent on NOS and desperate for the attention and praise of the defendant,' he added. 'They were encouraged to give up their time, finances and, eventually, their sense of self to this organisation and its leader.' Mr Brain first became involved with St Thomas' Church in Sheffield through his Christian rock band Present Tense. The 9pm NOS multimedia church services were described as 'visually stunning' and featured live music aimed at a younger congregation. By the time he took Holy Orders in December 1991 'signs of grandiose self-regard were already present' and large sums of money were spent finding the robes worn by the actor Robert De Niro in the movie 'The Mission' for him to wear at his ordination, Mr Clark said. The prosecutor said Mr 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, he added. One female congregant, who believes she was 'brainwashed' by the priest, alleges he invited her to his home while his wife was away in 1983 or 1984, where he pinned her down and raped her. 'She recalls moving her head from side to side and saying 'no',' Mr Clark told the jury. 'She said his weight was too great for her to be able to move him off her. She felt that she froze.' Another woman claims she 'had to be available' to 'put him to bed'. On those occasions, he would undress and rub himself against her as she massaged him while wearing only her underwear, the court heard. Mr Clark said: 'She described going into a 'robotic' state doing this, she dreaded receiving his phone calls.' Mr Brain told his alleged victim he was helping her 'heal from her sexual repression', the jury heard. A third woman alleges she would be called to the defendant's address to 'help him relax'. She said she had no friends outside NOS and feared being removed from the organisation if she disobeyed. She described him as 'Jekyll and Hyde' character, Mr Clark said, adding: 'She feared his anger if she didn't comply, isolation if she didn't submit and he had installed in her a belief (as a apparent man of God) that she was doing the right thing.' A further complainant described him as a 'predator hiding in plain sight' who would 'pick off women who he viewed as vulnerable'. She told police the homebase team was made up of church member who were 'young, female and beautiful', the jury were told. On one occasion he pinned her down on the floor, pressed himself against her and said she 'needed to accept that she was the sort of woman who wanted to be raped and that she couldn't be spiritual person unless she admitted this', Mr Clark said. 'He continued to pin her down until she made this admission,' the prosecutor added. 'She didn't hold such views but she was scared of him. His violent conduct was sudden and without warning.' The former priest appeared in a 1995 documentary and made admissions to the filmmaker of sexual contact with a number of the female members of NOS, jurors were told. Mr Brain, 68, who denies all charges, insists NOS was not a cult. He accepts he engaged in sexual activity with some of the complainants but that it was consensual. The eight-week trial continues.
The Independent
6 days ago
- The Independent
Church of England priest led cult and sexually abused a ‘staggering number of women', jury told
A priest once hailed for his 'groundbreaking' services became the leader of a cult in the Church of England and sexually abused a 'staggering' number of women, a court heard. Christopher Brain, who led the progressive Nine O-Clock Service (NOS) in Sheffield in the 80s and 90s, surrounded himself with women who wore lingerie or revealing clothes as part of his 'homebase team', jurors at Inner London Crown Court were told. The court heard the women – sometimes referred to as the 'the Lycra Lovelies' or 'the Lycra Nuns' – were on a rota to help then-Reverend Brain get to bed and this included performing sexual favours, a Bishop was told by a whistleblower in 1995. When Mr Brian was confronted at the time over claims he had abused up to 40 women, he replied: 'I thought it was more', the court heard. He resigned from holy orders in November that year. Appearing in the dock wearing purple shirt on Tuesday, Mr Brain is accused of one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault relating to 13 women between 1981 and 1995. Opening the prosecution's case, Tim Clark KC said that zthe Church of England initially viewed NOS as a success story and Mr Brain was fast-tracked for ordination. '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 told the jury. Mr Clark said NOS became a cult in which members, who were vetted and organised into 'discipleship' groups, were isolated from their friends and families. 'Members of NOS became utterly dependent on NOS and desperate for the attention and praise of the defendant,' he added. 'They were encouraged to give up their time, finances and, eventually, their sense of self to this organisation and its leader.' Mr Brain first became involved with St Thomas' Church in Sheffield through his Christian rock band Present Tense. The 9pm NOS multimedia church services were described as 'visually stunning' and featured live music aimed at a younger congregation. By the time he took Holy Orders in December 1991 'signs of grandiose self-regard were already present' and large sums of money were spent finding the robes worn by the actor Robert De Niro in the movie 'The Mission' for him to wear at his ordination, Mr Clark said. One female congregant, who believes she was 'brainwashed' by the priest, alleges he invited her to his home while his wife was away in 1983 or 1984, where he pinned her down and raped her. 'She recalls moving her head from side to side and saying 'no',' Mr Clark told the jury. 'She said his weight was too great for her to be able to move him off her. She felt that she froze.' Another woman claims she 'had to be available' to 'put him to bed'. On those occasions, he would undress and rub himself against her as she massaged him while wearing only her underwear, the court heard. Mr Clark said: 'She described going into a 'robotic' state doing this, she dreaded receiving his phone calls.' Mr Brain told his alleged victim he was helping her 'heal from her sexual repression', the jury heard. A third woman alleges she would be called to the defendant's address to 'help him relax'. She said she had no friends outside NOS and feared being removed from his team if she disobeyed. She described him as 'Jekyll and Hyde' character, Mr Clark said, adding: 'She feared his anger if she didn't comply, isolation if she didn't submit and he had installed in her a belief (as a apparent man of God) that she was doing the right thing.' A further complainant described him as a 'predator hiding in plain sight' who would 'pick off women who he viewed as vulnerable'. She told police the homebase team was made up of church member who were 'young, female and beautiful', the jury were told. On one occasion he pinned her down on the floor, pressed himself against her and said she 'needed to accept that she was the sort of woman who wanted to be raped and that she couldn't be spiritual person unless she admitted this', Mr Clark said. 'He continued to pin her down until she made this admission,' the prosecutor added. 'She didn't hold such views but she was scared of him. His violent conduct was sudden and without warning.' Mr Brain, 68, who denies all charges, insists NOS was not a cult and, where sexual contact did occur, it was consensual. The eight-week trial continues.
