Theology student raped teen girls he’d groomed as pastor for children
AN Oxford theology student used his role as a children’s pastor at a church to groom and rape two vulnerable teenage girls, a court heard yesterday.
Timothy Storey spent years manipulating girls who attended bible studies at his church by sending them flattering messages over Facebook before allegedly launching his attacks. Such was his hold over them that the girls felt they had no choice but to submit to his depraved demands, it was said.
Both girls finally contacted the police when they saw an article in the Daily Mail which described Storey’s convictions for a string of sexual offences against children under the age of 16.
In May last year he was convicted of seven counts of inciting children to engage in sexual activity and two counts of making indecent images of a child.
After his convictions were published in the Mail, the two young woman told police that they were both raped by Storey when they were teenagers, it was said.
They had previously both told the Church of England about the abuse, but no action seems to have been taken, the court heard.
One alleged victim, who claims she was raped twice, described Storey ‘as being more influential than God to her’.
But when she told Reverend Jeremy Crossley about the abuse he told her they had to ‘look after’ Storey and think about his ‘welfare and needs’, the jury was told. Rev Crossley, who was linked to her church, did not appear to be taking notes about the allegations, Woolwich Crown Court heard.
The second alleged victim claims she was raped twice in the defendant’s digs in Oxford where he was training to become a vicar.
She too complained and was told that the Church of England safeguarding officer was dealing with the matter, it was said. The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, allegedly sent her a letter of apology, but little else was done.
Outlining the case against him yesterday, prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters said Storey’s behaviour illustrated his ‘ entrenched manipulation of young females to engage in sexual activity for his own gratification’.
She said: ‘The defendant targeted vulnerable victims and his conduct revealed a wholesale breach of trust in his position of relative power as the church youth leader.
‘After gaining their confidence and trust, he made contact with them and groomed them to form inappropriate relationships with them before manipulating [them] into sexual activity.’
The first alleged victim, who is now aged 24, met Storey, who is now 35, when she joined St Michael’s Church in Victoria, London, in 2002.
From the age of 14 she attended a 10-day residential camp in Kent called the Crusader Camp where Storey became her leader.
Storey first raped her at his home when she was 17, before telling her to leave because he was going to watch a film and order a Chinese takeaway, the jury was told.
On another occasion he raped her in a small street after getting off a bus, it was said.
The second alleged victim, who is now 23, attended the Crusader Camp from the age of nine to 18.
Storey began to groom her over Facebook and when she was 16 sent her a message asking what underwear she was wearing and asked her to send a picture of her in uniform, it was claimed.
He then allegedly started sending messages telling her about the sexual acts he would like to perform on her.
Months later he invited her to a concert in Birmingham where he plied her with alcohol before taking her back to his student room at Oxford and raping her twice, it was said.
Miss Llewellyn-Waters added: ‘She heard a knock at the door and prayed for matters to stop. However when the defendant opened the door there was no one there.
‘She cried during the night. She did not know how to get to the station and felt helpless.’
Storey is accused of raping each victim twice and of sexually assaulting the first victim.
He is also accused of meeting a third victim, a 13-year- old girl, whom he is accused of sexually grooming over Facebook.
Storey denies all the charges. The trial continues.
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From The Mail, May 2014 ‘Targeted the vulnerable’