A woman said she “froze” after she was allegedly pushed down and raped by a former priest accused of sexual offences against 13 women in his congregation, a court heard.
Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was leader of the Nine O’Clock Service (NOS), part of the Church of England, in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995.
Brain denies one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995.
The prosecution allege NOS became a cult where Brain abused his position to sexually assault a “staggering number” of women followers, exerting control over their lives and ostracising them from friends and family.
Inner London Crown Court has heard a “homebase team” was set up to “care for” Brain – referred to as “the Lycra Lovelies” or “the Lycra Nuns” – with witnesses reporting seeing the defendant surrounded by attractive women in lingerie at his home looking after his needs.
On Friday, a recorded video interview was played to the court of a woman who has alleged Brain raped and indecently assaulted her.
In the interview with police, she said Brain wanted her to go around to “keep him company” and she said it was early evening.
“It was cold so it wasn’t the middle of summer I don’t think,” she said.
“I went around straight away, he got me to sit in the front room.
“He persuaded me to have a whiskey. I had a small amount, probably about a single.”
After some chatting Brain went upstairs and came down in a suit which was a “murky greeny browny colour”, the woman said, adding that she thought it was “ugly” but did not say that.
She said he then went back upstairs and got changed and came back down and then wanted to show her “a futon thing in his room”.
The woman said she sat down fully clothed, and added she had probably taken her shoes off downstairs at the door.
She said “he sat down beside me and after a short while he pushed me down” so he was “on top of me”.
The woman added that he then started to rape her.
She said she was “putting my head from side to side” and “saying no”, adding: “And I couldn’t get him off me.”
The woman said afterwards he made her have a bath downstairs.
She said she considered going to the police afterwards but thought “it would be really traumatic” and she thought she did not want her family to know.
Asked by the interviewing officer on the recording if Brain tried to kiss her, the woman replied: “He had on previous occasions, I can’t remember on that occasion.”
Asked if she tried to do anything else to try to stop him, the woman said: “I couldn’t stop him, I couldn’t push him off me.”
She added: “It was a freeze response, I froze.”
The woman also said Brain had been “grooming” her and “following me about in his car”.
She described it as a “relentless pursuit”.
The woman also said she believes she was “brain washed” and added she could not go back to her family.
Iain Simkin, defending, started cross-examination by saying Brain says he did not rape her, and he says he did not sexually assault her at all.
Mr Simkin asked the woman if she had said no during the alleged rape and she said she groaned no.
The trial continues.
