C of E issues apology after former priest convicted of 17 assaults

The Church of England has apologised "unreservedly" for its failure to act over a priest who assaulted young women who attended his evangelical church inspired by rave culture.

- Harriet Sherwood Raphael Boyd

Christopher Brain was found guilty on 17 charges of indecent assault against attendees of the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS) in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995, following a trial that lasted more than seven weeks.

The jury found him not guilty on a further 15 charges of indecent assault, and was unable to reach verdicts on a further four charges of indecent assault and one charge of rape.

The 68-year-old, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, denied all charges.

In a statement, Pete Wilcox, the bishop of Sheffield, said: "What happened was an appalling abuse of power and leadership that should never have occurred.

"Where concerns were raised in the past and were not acted upon properly, that was a failing of the church. For those institutional failures I offer an unreserved apology."

He said he was deeply sorry for the harm Brain's victims had suffered, adding that the church was "committed to supporting those affected".