A former Church of England priest who ran a rave-inspired "cult" group has been found guilty of rape and indecent assault.

Christopher Brain, 69, had already been convicted of multiple indecent assaults while leader of the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), part of a radical group of the Church of England in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995.

The "vibrant church" services for young people included a live band and light shows - but the group became a cult with Brain at the centre, Inner London Crown Court was told.

The priest set up a "home base" team, known as the "Lycra Nuns", to care for him and his wife and daughter at home, the prosecution said.

At Inner London Crown Court on Friday, he was convicted of one count of rape and four counts of indecent assault.

He was previously convicted of 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women and found not guilty of another 15 charges of indecent assault.

A retrial was held for four further counts of indecent assault and one of rape, which the previous jury were unable to reach a verdict on.

Brain, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, denied rape and four counts of indecent assault relating to at least 15 alleged incidents said to have taken place between 1983 and 1995 involving four women. A jury found him guilty on Friday.

Prosecutor Tim Clark, KC, told jurors in September that he was convicted of a large number of offences of indecent assault against NOS members at another trial in 2025.

The prosecution previously told jurors that NOS, which was aimed at younger people, "presented itself to the outside world as a progressive force for good".

But the court heard Brain "dominated and abused his position" to sexually assault a "staggering number of women from his congregation", including during massages.

He denied brainwashing people to satisfy his sexual desires or ostracising female followers from friends and family.

During the retrial, the court heard that Brain lured one woman to his house before raping her in an attic bedroom.

A second woman said she was reprimanded if her clothing was not provocative enough.

The court heard that she would stand naked in front of a fully-clothed Brain, describing him as a "Jekyll and Hyde character".

Brain has now been convicted of a total of 22 sexual offences against 13 women, and will be remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date.

(c) Sky News 2026: Ex-priest who ran rave-inspired 'cult' group found guilty of rape and indecent assault