Locations
Park Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire East, SK9
Description
A former priest who sexually abused multiple young women in his Sheffield congregation has today been convicted of further offences including rape.
Christopher Brain, now aged 69, led a group called the Nine O’Clock Service in the city in the 1980s and 1990s and used his power and influence to make women feel they had no choice but to submit to his sexual demands.
Brain, formerly of Park Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, was convicted in August 2025 of 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women. The jury in the 2025 trial was unable to reach a verdict on a further four counts of indecent assault and one count of rape. However, following a five-week re-trial, he has today (Friday 2 October 2026) been found guilty of all five of these offences against four women.
Brain’s convictions follow an extensive and complex police investigation which we launched in 2019 following a referral. Thanks to the bravery of the women who made reports, a dedicated team of officers was able to begin building the case against Brain and establishing the full picture of his offending.
The NOS attracted a young congregation through its use of live music and nightclub-style multimedia effects. It was initially held at St Thomas’s Church in Crookes, before later moving to a larger venue in Ponds Forge in the city centre.
The court heard that Brain, who was an ordained Church of England priest, created a ‘cult’ and ‘brainwashed’ his victims into believing that he was a ‘mouthpiece of God’. The victims thought if they didn’t carry out the sexual acts he demanded, they would be failing as Christians.
It was only after the NOS ended, and for some many years later, that the victims realised they had been groomed and sexually abused.
During the investigation, our officers spoke to hundreds of people, with most bringing different names and lines of enquiry into the investigation. We took around 50 statements, gathered hundreds of pieces of documentation and conducted 55 hours’ worth of victim and witness interviews.
Our enquiries took us all over the UK, with many of those involved now based in different parts of the country. Many of the people we needed to speak to for help with our enquiries weren’t previously known to police, and weren’t easily traceable, resulting in the use of varied and complex tactics to find them and seek their assistance.
During both the trial and re-trial, a small team of SYP officers relocated from South Yorkshire to London to support the prosecution and assist in justice being secured.
Detective Superintendent Eleanor Welsh, Senior Investigating Officer, said:
“I’d firstly like to put on record my gratitude towards all of the courageous women who made reports and put their trust and support behind our investigation. These women have waited three or four decades for these verdicts and bravely relived their ordeals in a bid to secure justice.
“Due to Brain’s continued denial of the offences, the victims – who have already been through so much - had to ensure a second trial. Furthermore, victims from the first trial bravely returned as witnesses to support the prosecution.
“Brain is a devious and arrogant sexual predator who caused lasting harm to these women.
“While I am pleased with the guilty verdicts, I know for the victims it can never take away what Brain did to them. However, I hope that it brings some comfort to know they have had a voice, they have been heard, and the jury has accepted that Brain is a serial sex offender.”
Det Supt Welsh added:
“I also hope today’s verdicts show others who may have suffered sexual abuse that it’s never too late to come forward and report to us, even if the offences occurred many years ago. We will listen to you and there is support available to you throughout the process.”
Brain will be sentenced on a date to be set.