Former Sheffield Priest Chris Brain Faces Retrial on Five Sexual Assault Charges

Chris Brain, the former leader of the Nine O'Clock Service evangelical movement in Sheffield, will face a retrial next year on five outstanding sexual offence charges, including one count of rape and four counts of indecent assault. Brain, 68, was previously convicted of 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women but acquitted of 15 others; however, the jury could not reach verdicts on the five remaining charges during the trial held at Inner London Crown Court. The Nine O'Clock Service, active from 1986 to 1995 as part of the Church of England, was described as a cult in which Brain abused his position to control and isolate female followers, with a so-called "homebase team" of women caring for him. The retrial is scheduled to begin on September 1, 2026, and is expected to last about four weeks. The Crown Prosecution Service emphasized the public interest in pursuing the retrial, while a case management hearing for sentencing on the original convictions was set for October 2. The Bishop of Sheffield issued an unreserved apology to victims for the abuse of power by Brain during his leadership of the NOS.