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Cult priest forced young newlyweds to sell house for church before sexual assault
Cult leader coerced young couple to sell home for church funds before sexually assaulting bride.
In brief
Cult leader coerced young couple to sell home for church funds before sexually assaulting bride. Cult priest Chris Brain forced newlywed couple to sell £8,000 home to fund his church before sexually assaulting bride. Originally reported by Dailymail.
Cult leader's control
A young worshipper was coerced into giving naked massages to Chris Brain or face ostracism.
“I don't feel I had the choice (to say no)”
Brain's sexual abuse
The woman described being regularly summoned to Chris Brain's bedroom where she would strip naked and have her breasts fondled.
“He usually had an erection at the time”
Brain's religious influence
Brain's distinctive Nine O'Clock Services in Sheffield during the 1980s and 1990s drew legions of young worshippers into the Church of England.
“Because everyone else around me was telling me how wonderful he was”
Financial coercion
The woman said she and her then husband gave the full £8,000 from the sale of their home in the early 1980s to Brain's church.
“We had to give the full £8,000 from the sale of our home”
Family isolation
She said they were 'positively encouraged not to spend any time with our blood families'.
“Right from the beginning, the Church of God is your family and we were encouraged from the off not to have anything to do with our parents and siblings”
Strict control
Brain and his 'disciples' were incredibly strict about what she and other young women ate, what exercise they took, and the clothes they wore.
“You knew you were being punished - by displeasing Brain you were displeasing God”
Holiday shunning
She said she was ignored on a group holiday because her baby daughter was wearing a hat Brain did not approve of.
“We hadn't taken off yet and a woman came up to me and said: 'Chris wants to know why (the baby) is wearing that hat'”
Psychological trauma
The woman said she was 'troubled' by her experiences massaging Brain but believed doing so would bring her closer to God.
“I wanted to be involved and included and belong but I was a really inexperienced girl”
Decision to leave
She wrote in her diary: 'I cannot get lower than this, there is no way out'.
“I wrote in my diary - I cannot get lower than this, there is no way out”
Legal status
Chris Brain, 69, denies all charges, including three counts of indecent assault between 1990 and 1993.
“Brain, 69, denies all charges, including three counts of indecent assault between 1990 and 1993 relating to the woman”
Trial context
The trial is for a series of sexual offences in the 1980s and 1990s after Brain was previously convicted of attacks on women.
“Brain is accused of raping one woman and assaulting three others between 1983 and 1995”
Current status
The woman left Brain's family home upon return to the UK at the end of the holiday.
“So I decided to give up on my faith and that was the best thing I ever did”
Psychological impact
She said if she could turn back time, she would never want to meet Chris Brain.
“If I could turn the clock back and never have met the guy, I would want that”
Ostracism consequences
She was ostracised for minor things that undermined Brain, including her baby daughter's clothing choices.
“I was in big trouble because I had done the thing in the first place and was rubbish at repenting”
Financial impact
The couple gave £8,000 from the sale of their home to Brain's church in the early 1980s.
“We had to give the full £8,000 from the sale of our home”
Current trial
Brain is on trial for a series of sexual offences in the 1980s and 1990s after being previously convicted of attacks on women.
“Brain is accused of raping one woman and assaulting three others between 1983 and 1995”
The takeaway
Cult priest Chris Brain forced newlywed couple to sell £8,000 home to fund his church before sexually assaulting bride.
