Displaying items by tag: Nine O'Clock Service

Chris Brain, a former CofE priest and founder of the Nine O’Clock Service (NOS), has been convicted of 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women. The NOS, active between 1986 and 1995, blended rave culture with worship but was later exposed as a manipulative, closed environment in which Brain exploited his authority. Prosecutors told the court that some victims, recruited to a 'homebase team' to care for Brain and his family, were pressured into sexual favours and treated as servants. The group referred to some of these women as 'Lycra lovelies' or 'Lycra nuns’. Several assaults occurred during massages, which Brain admitted but insisted were consensual, describing them as 'no big deal’. The court heard, however, that Brain abused his influence, creating a controlling culture that enabled systematic exploitation. Now 68, he was removed from ministry in 1995. Jurors continue to deliberate on four further indecent assault charges and one rape charge. Brain denies wrongdoing on all counts.