Oxford-educated Pastor Who Preached about Abstinence Raped Two Teenage Churchgoers after Grooming Hundreds of Children on Facebook
By Anthony Joseph
An Oxford-educated pastor who preached about abstinence raped two teenage girls after grooming hundreds of children online. Timothy Storey, 35, sexually assaulted the churchgoers of St Michael's Church in Belgravia, London. The former theology student at Wycliffe Hall began his grooming by sending the girls flattering messages on Facebook. One of his victims, who was raped twice, was so under his control she described him as 'more influential than God'. Both had complained to the Church of England about Storey, but the allegations were 'brushed aside', Woolwich Crown Court heard. Storey claimed the girls had given their consent but today he has been convicted of three rape charges and one count of sexual assault. The first victim, now 25, met the children's pastor when she joined the church in 2002. He was also her leader on the Crusaders bible camp in Kent when she was aged 14. Storey first raped her at his home when she was 17 before telling her to leave so he could watch a film and order a Chinese takeaway. She said: 'There was no direction where I could turn where I wasn't somehow being affected by him. 'He had me trapped and I knew that if I didn't do what he wanted me to, I wouldn't get the good things. 'He ground me down and treated me like a piece of meat. 'I felt like a blow-up doll. He once said to me 'You are not worth wasting a condom on'. 'When he wants sex, he will not stop until he gets it. I put him on a pedestal and he knew it.' The teenager approached Revered Jeremy Crossley about the abuse which she had been on the receiving end of. However, she was told the church had to 'look after' Storey and think about his 'welfare and needs'. The second victim said Storey began grooming her on Facebook from the age of 16. He would ask her what underwear she was wearing and begged her to send him a picture of her in her school uniform. A few 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. The woman, now 24, was also a member of the St Michael's congregation, and attended Crusader camp.
Hanna Llewellyn-Waters, prosecuting, said: 'She heard a knock at the door and prayed for matters to stop. 'She cried during the night. She did not know how to get to the station and felt helpless.' When she made a complaint to the church, she was told a safeguarding officer was 'dealing' with the matter.
The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, allegedly sent her a letter of apology, but she said nothing else was done. The pair did not go to police until May last year after reading a Daily Mail article about Storey's previous convictions for sex offences. He had admitted seven counts of inciting children to engage in sexual activity and two counts of making indecent images of children at Woolwich Crown Court. The pastor would pose as a privately educated teacher called 'Tim Stone' and persuade girls as young as 12 to film themselves naked. Storey would then threaten to tell their parents if they tried to escape his clutches. When police raided his home they found over 3,000 pages of sexually explicit Skype chats he had with underage girls along with 72 indecent images of children. Storey initially escaped a prison sentence and instead received a three-year rehabilitation order and a sexual offences prevention order, and was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for five years. But he was later jailed for three years after a public outcry over the leniency of his sentence. Throughout the abuse Storey preached 'no sex before marriage' to youngsters, and was even responsible for training other youth leaders in child safeguarding practices. He denied abusing the two girls, claiming that the sex was consensual, pointing out that both women were over 16 at the time of the attacks. He said the victims 'seemed to be enjoying it'. Outlining the case, Ms Llewellyn-Waters 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.' Storey's behaviour illustrated his 'entrenched manipulation of young females to engage in sexual activity for his own gratification'.
Storey, from Peckham, South London, denied but was convicted of three counts of rape and one of sexual assault. Judge Philip Katz, QC, praised Storey's family and thanked them for the 'great dignity and composure' they showed in attending court every day throughout the trial. The judge said: 'I cannot just deal with Mr Storey today. 'The law provides, in certain circumstances, that judges may treat offenders as dangerous offenders and that is something I need some more information about as that information is not before me today.
A spokesman for the Diocese of London said: 'Timothy Storey has today been convicted of a series of appalling crimes and we are profoundly sorry for what his victims endured. 'The Diocese of London first received complaints regarding Timothy Storey's conduct in early 2009. 'He was then training as a Church of England ordinand at Wycliffe Hall. The Diocese's Child Protection Adviser at the time looked into the allegations and spoke with the Metropolitan Police Westminster Child Protection Team, raising concerns that his actions were an offence under the 2003 Sexual Offences Act. 'Whilst the Diocese's Child Protection Adviser recorded that police did not believe any criminal act had been committed, the Diocese nevertheless took the decision to withdraw him from ordination training. 'The Diocese subsequently submitted a report to the Independent Safeguarding Authority (now known as the Disclosure and Barring Service). 'Within the submission, the Diocese stipulated that it deemed Timothy Storey's behaviour to pose a risk to those under the age of 18 and included first-hand statements that the Diocese gathered from the individuals who had made allegations against Mr Storey. 'The National Church of England was also notified, to prevent him from applying for ordination elsewhere in the country.' Storey was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on April 15.
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