A 77-year-old former church leader, John Grant, has been found guilty of multiple sexual offences against young men and will be sentenced on 11 September. Grant held senior roles in several churches across the UK, including Muswell Hill Baptist Church in north London and Billingham Baptist Church in Stockton-on-Tees. He 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. These offences took place between 1970 and 2012 and involved four victim-survivors. The investigation into Grant began in 2023 after a victim-survivor reported being sexually assaulted over a 30-year period starting in 1994. The abuse is said to have continued until 2012. Police have since urged other potential victims to come forward, given Grant’s long-standing connections with multiple churches and youth groups in north London. Grant worked as a deacon and youth group leader, and detectives believe he used coercive control and manipulative behavior to groom vulnerable young men before sexually assaulting them. The Crown Prosecution Service described his actions as calculated and predatory, noting that he targeted teenagers through youth groups and befriended young men in financial hardship to create opportunities for abuse. Detective Constable Liam Levy, who led the investigation, praised the courage of the victim-survivors in coming forward and emphasized the Metropolitan Police’s commitment to investigating all sexual offences, regardless of when they occurred. The Met is encouraging any other potential victims to contact them directly or through Crimestoppers. According to one report, a victim has since died after disclosing the abuse to someone close, and prosecutors successfully argued that his evidence should be heard. Grant will be placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and will serve eight and a half years in prison.