Chris Brain, 69, a former Church of England priest, is on trial at Inner London Crown Court facing charges of one count of rape and four counts of indecent assault against four women. These allegations stem from his time leading the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS) in Sheffield, a group that attracted up to 600 people and operated from larger premises at the Rotunda in Ponds Forge.
An associate of Brain, music producer Chris Essdale, testified that he knew Brain before his ordination when they were involved in a rock band. Essdale described Brain as the leader of a group in the late 1980s seeking a more contemporary form of worship, who later became an ordained priest. According to Essdale, a "cult of fear" surrounded Brain, with an inner circle idolizing him. He stated that members of NOS were pressured to sever ties with their families and friends, and faced ostracization if they did not comply with the group's demands, making the church their entire focus.
Essdale compared the Church of England's relationship with Brain to that of the BBC with Sir Jimmy Savile and Jeffrey Epstein, stating, "He was their golden boy." Essdale explained that just as the BBC promoted Savile, "the Church of England defended Chris and promoted Chris."
Another witness, Rachel Hurding, a Sheffield headteacher who was involved in NOS in her 20s, testified that Brain surrounded himself with women nicknamed "the Lycra Lovelies." She described these women as having no life apart from being in Brain's inner circle and noted that they were pressured to maintain a very skinny physique.
Brain, who resides in Wilmslow, Cheshire, has already been convicted of several sexual assault charges from a previous trial. The current trial at Inner London Crown Court continues as he faces the additional charges. Iain Simkin, KC, defending Brain, suggested that the witness was using "artistic licence" to create dramatic testimony, and questioned the analogy to Jimmy Savile.