The rapist priest who abused his ‘cult-like’ congregation

Chris Brain, the charismatic leader of the Nine O'Clock Service in Sheffield during the 1980s and 1990s, has been found guilty of rape and multiple indecent assaults against members of his congregation. A jury at Inner London Crown Court convicted the 69-year-old on Friday of raping one woman and four counts of indecent assault against three others, following a retrial on charges he had already partially faced in August 2025. The conviction marks a significant conclusion to a protracted legal process against a priest who once held considerable influence over hundreds of young worshippers.

Brain systematically exploited his spiritual authority, manipulating young women in his congregation who worked unpaid as his "homebase team" whilst being instructed to "do anything" he asked. Court evidence revealed he would summon congregation members to his attic bedroom for sensual massages, often stripping to his underwear and expecting sexual contact; women feared refusal would result in ostracism or spiritual damnation. The Nine O'Clock Service, initially celebrated as an innovative fusion of rave culture, music and activism that attracted hundreds of young people weekly, became a vehicle for abuse hidden beneath its countercultural image.