A former priest accused of assaulting women in an alleged cult church group has said that he led “on consensus” and denied manipulation.
Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was leader of the evangelical movement 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 against 13 women.
Prosecutors say 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.
On Monday, Brain told jurors at Inner London Crown Court that he had a leading role in a group in the Yorkshire city from the early 1980s, which would later “dissolve into” the NOS.
Giving evidence in a navy suit, the defendant said the earlier group had been likened to a “kibbutz” with 12 members who would focus on helping the poor and disadvantaged.
Defence lawyer Iain Simkin KC asked Brain if he attempted to indoctrinate those in the group.
Brain replied: “No, of course not.”
The defendant also denied trying to coerce others.
Mr Simkin asked: “Did you try to start a cult?”
Brain said he did not, adding that those involved were “completely anti-cult”.
The NOS began in 1986, and the defendant said it had a “team structure” but that he led the congregation.
He told of leading the design of the worship, choosing the music, songs and lighting.
Brain said he “rarely” stood at the front of worships and instead played more of a “producer” role.
He told jurors: “Yes I was a leader but there were other leaders as well.”
Mr Simkin asked Brain if he was a “controlling maniac” who ran a cult for his own ends.
The defendant said he was not, adding that members were “completely against a charismatic bloke leading the front of their service”.
Mr Simkin asked the defendant if he made members “obey” or if he turned them into “robots” for his “sexual desires”, which he denied.
Asked if members could work, the defendant said: “Yes of course. Some of them had normal jobs.”
Mr Simkin asked Brain about his leadership style, to which the defendant said: “I think most of the time I worked on consensus, at the time that’s what I thought was most considerate, making sure you take everybody with you.”
But he admitted being “Yorkshire and straight” and “direct by today’s standards”.
Brain said that his role was “totally consuming” and “creatively intensive”.
Mr Simkin also asked Brain if he dressed people down in public, humiliated them or wanted to control, which the defendant denied.
He denied having an extravagant lifestyle, saying he lived in a two-bedroom terraced house and drove a third-hand Ford Escort before switching it for a Toyota.
Mr Simkin asked Brain if he “fleeced” others to pay for his lifestyle, and the defendant replied: “No.”
The trial continues.
