Its leader Michael Oluronbi gave children "holy baths" as cover for the abuse[1] and was jailed for 34 years.
[2][3] Michael Oluronbi, born in Nigeria, led a splinter group of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church at a house in Birmingham, England,[1] from 1989.
[9] He controlled his young victims with frightening beliefs, such as threats that a child would become a witch or fail school exams if they resisted his abuse.
[6][4] According to the Crown Prosecution Service, because of the "influence and authority the defendants held" victims "honestly believed their actions were on God's behalf".
[1] A victim said Oluronbi took "my innocence, my youth and my purity as a child", while another "used to eat soap until I was physically sick so I could get rid of this man's mark on me inside and out".
[1] In May 2018, Michael Oluronbi was arrested at Birmingham Airport[1] when attempting to flee to his native Nigeria, shortly after a victim confronted him.
These could only be reported after the judge lifted the legal restrictions[5] on 14 January 2020, when the Crown Prosecution Service announced it would not seek a retrial.
[6] Georgina Hewins of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "This case involved the serious and sustained sexual abuse of vulnerable young children by a religious leader.
[6] Detective Inspector Dave Sproson of West Midlands Police said: "These were sickening crimes committed against children who had put their trust in Oluronbi and looked up to him.