Former priest guilty of 17 indecent assaults in Nine O'Clock Service

A former priest who led an influential Sheffield-based evangelical movement has been found guilty of 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women who were part of the group during the 1980s and early 1990s. Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, headed the Nine OClock Service (NOS) between 1986 and 1995. The verdicts were delivered at Inner London Crown Court, with jurors clearing him of 15 other indecent assault charges and continuing to deliberate on four further counts and one charge of assault.

The prosecution argued that NOS presented itself as a progressive force for young people, but in reality became a tightly controlled environment in which Brain exercised sweeping influence over the lives of his female followers. Jurors were told that a home-based team, sometimes referred to as the Lycra Lovelies or Lycra Nuns, cared for Brain and supported his routine, with witnesses reporting Brain surrounded by women in lingerie who tended to his needs. The Crown contended that the organization evolved into a cult-like atmosphere in which members were groomed to submit to his authority, with ostracism and personal isolation used to maintain control.