Pastor guilty of sexual assault after spanking women to 'cure depression
Rev Howard Curtis, who ran the Coulsdon Christian Fellowship in south London, is facing jail after he was convicted of a string of sexual assaults.
Curtis, 73, ‘didn’t see any harm’ in smacking a member of his congregation who was suffering from depression.
He claimed the ‘deliverance counselling’ had to be done ‘flesh to flesh’ on the bare bottom in order to cast out evil spirits.
Croydon Crown Court also heard he spanked one women between her legs in order to “cure her frigid spirit”, and performed a sex act on her with his finger.
He maintained the spanking of the three women was consensual, and denied the ‘deliverance’ had a sexual motive.
He told the court: "She wondered if it [spanking] could help with her depression. I thought it could.
“It depends if you see depression as an illness or an evil spirit. If you smack somebody it could free an evil spirit."
But the jury rejected his version of events, instead finding that he manipulated the vulnerable women into allowing him to spank them for his own sexual pleasure.
Toby Fitzgerald, prosecuting, said Curtis’ own wife had reused to submit to the principle of ‘Christian Domestic Discipline’ (CDD) - which involves a wife’s submission to her husband and non-sexual spanking.
He alleged that after his wife’s defiance, he then turned his attention to the women of his congregation.
Mr Fitzgerald added: “Whatever desires the defendant held, to satisfy his wish to dominate and satisfy his wish to spank he wasn't getting any change from [his wife] and that, the Crown say, he set to spanking others."
He described how Curtis helped one of the women by paying her bills and finding her a job. He added: “Those things would be great if they didn't come with the flip side.
"Once he had drawn her in with apparent kindness and significant generosity... once he's done that, made her trust him and rely on him, things took a turn for the worse."
Curtis was further accused of running his church, where he worked for the past three decades, like a “cult”, brainwashing his followers.
But Julia Flanagan, defending, asserted CDD was a ‘widely held’ belief and those who followed it had every right to engage in spanking.
She said: “He has his church called a cult because he helped men and women in need, both practically and spiritually.”
Judge Peter Gower QC warned the pastor, who is now banned from the church, faces a lengthy jail term for his crimes.
He said: “An immediate custodial sentence is inevitable in this case
"You have been convicted of some very serious offences."
Curtis denied seven counts of sexual assault, one assault by digital - fingers - penetration, and two counts of indecent assault against three women between 1991 - 2013.
He also denied four counts of child cruelty against three children, and one charge of causing actual bodily harm against one woman, taking place between 1969 and 2008.
Curtis will be sentenced on April 22.
Pastor claims he spanked women to 'cure depression' | UK | News | Daily Express
