Pastor ‘abused 7 women to clean evil spirits away’
‘God made me a king’
A CHURCH pastor sexually assaulted and raped women by claiming to be ridding them of evil spirits, a court heard yesterday.
John Wilson, 70, carried out the ‘deliverances’ on his victims after saying the Holy Spirit spoke to him during a church service, it is claimed.
His alleged victims include two sisters, a mother and her daughter, and the teenage daughter of a friend. He is said to have justified raping one woman by telling her: ‘God made me a king so I’m allowed to do this.’
Helped by his wife Mary, 79, and assistant pastor Laurence Peterson, 59, Wilson intimately touched his victims during one-toone prayer sessions, the jury was told.
Some recalled blacking out and the court heard their tea may have been spiked as they chatted before the prayer sessions. The prosecution claims Wilson used the church he founded in Keighley, West Yorkshire, to abuse seven women and teenage girls over 28 years.
Complaints were made to the church but police were not called in until the husband of one alleged victim reported the selfstyled pastor in 2014, Bradford Crown Court heard. Mrs Wilson and Peterson were often present during the alleged attacks. Three victims never returned after a single session but the four most vulnerable women allowed the abuse to continue for years, believing they had evil spirits inside them, said prosecutor David McGonigal.
In 1981 the three defendants founded the Keighley Pentecostal Church, which ceased to exist during the 1990s. They later set up the Liberty Pentecostal Church in the town.
Two sisters were abused by Wilson as teenagers, the court heard. Mr McGonigal said Wilson told the first girl that ‘God would tell him where to touch’ to find the evil spirits. Wilson was said to be unbuttoning her blouse when she fled.
Many years later her husband went to police after he discovered his wife and her sister had been abused by the same man, the court heard.
When quizzed by police Wilson insisted he did not do deliverances for anyone under 18.
The other sister was allegedly abused for more than a decade from the age of about 13. She recalled an incident when she ‘ blacked out’ and woke up shouting at Wilson to ‘get away’.
He had touched her intimately and allegedly said, as if addressing demons, ‘come out in the name of Jesus’.
Mr McGonigal said: ‘She continued her deliverances and ... she believed what he told her about God.’
A 17-year-old recalled struggling to get up from the floor during one prayer session and Mrs Wilson allegedly said, ‘just pin her down’.
The women were abused at the Wilsons’ home and at church. Other victims included an alcoholic who needed psychiatric treatment.
Wilson’s alleged rape victim was abused after telling him of her marital problems and he promised to get rid of the ‘sex demons’. The alleged abuse culminated in sex, which Wilson said was ‘cleaning her up’.
The court heard Wilson told her: ‘ Queens need to be dethroned, God made me a king so I’m allowed to do this.’
Wilson denies 25 counts of indecent assault, two rapes and four offences of conspiracy to commit indecent assault.
His wife Mary denies conspiring with her husband to commit sexual assault and two offences of aiding and abetting him with indecent assaults.
Peterson denies three counts of aiding and abetting indecent assault and three of conspiracy to commit indecent assault.
The case continues.