Church deacon jailed for decades of sexual abuse

A church deacon and youth group leader from north London has been sentenced to eight and a half years after grooming and sexually assaulting young men over five decades.

John Grant, 77, of Hornsey, was convicted of three counts of sexual assault, six counts of indecent assault and two counts of causing another person to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity between 1970 and 2012.

Judge Emma Deacon KC said Grant carried out "a sustained manipulation of two young men" who he "knew to be vulnerable, and to whom you presented yourself as a benevolent figure, well respected in the community".

Wood Green Crown Court heard he will serve up to half his sentence in prison and the rest on licence.

The Metropolitan Police first became aware of Grant after a victim reported being repeatedly sexually assaulted by him over a 30-year period beginning in 1994.

As a result of the report, officers identified a number of churches and youth groups linked to Grant, leading to three more victims coming forward.

Police said Grant groomed vulnerable young men through coercive and controlling behaviour before sexually assaulting them.

The force said some of the abuse took place during Grant's time at Muswell Hill Baptist Church, where he later held his most senior role as moderator for the London Baptist Association.

He also offended through several youth groups in north London and at Billingham Baptist Church in Stockton-on-Tees.

The court heard how Grant had initiated wrestling competitions between himself and younger male members at these youth groups, and insisted on giving massages to some of his victims despite them not wanting him to.

Grant was also a member of Broomsknoll Church of Scotland in Airdrie between 1965 and 1970, and Ward Green Baptist Church in Barnsley between 1973 and 1984.

The Met said it believes there may be further victims and is urging them to come forward.

Another victim said Grant's assaults had left him feeling "sickened and suicidal".

In his statement, he said he had believed Grant was a "genuine guy" who was helping him through a particularly vulnerable period in his life, but that the abuse had left him feeling "a shell of my former self".

A third victim said Grant had "used the church to get easy pickings" and added that when he first reported what had happened, "I felt somewhat doubted and disbelieved".

He praised the police investigation, saying that when he first spoke to officers, "all the feelings I had buried fifty years ago resurfaced".

Dominique Burrell from the Crown Prosecution Service said: "The way John Grant abused his position as a trusted religious leader to prey on young men in his community was calculated and predatory.

"He targeted teenagers through youth groups, and befriended vulnerable young men in financial hardship – all to create opportunities so that he could assault them.

One victim described a "sustained campaign of grooming" and told Grant at Wood Green Crown Court: "You created an environment where I felt emotionally and spiritually cornered."

He said that, although Grant had not taken away his faith in God, he had destroyed his trust in the church.

"You weaponised your church titles, using the respectability of the church as both a hunting ground and a shield," he said.

The victim added that the abuse had had a "devastating" impact on his mental health, leaving him with long-term depression and anxiety.

During sentencing, Judge Deacon also commended Det Con Liam Levy for his work on the investigation, which he began as a trainee officer, saying he had made "a truly valuable contribution" to the case.

She said this included identifying one victim who had been "understandably reluctant to engage with police", adding that his support had been "pivotal" in maintaining the trust of the victims.

Grant was also banned from serving in any paid or unpaid administrative role within a church organisation. He was made subject to a restraining order relating to one of the victims and will remain on the sex offenders register.

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