April 2016
Trainee vicar jailed for 15 years for raping two teenage girls
A trainee vicar has been jailed for 15 years after being found guilty of raping two teenage girls.
Timothy Storey, 35, preyed on vulnerable young Christians at religious summer camps he worked at and which they attended “from an early age”, befriending them over time.
He groomed and sent his victims sexual texts and messages on social media, and eventually manipulated both women into meeting with him.
Neither of the women can be named for legal reasons.
Storey lived a ‘double life’, preaching the virtues of abstinence at St Michael’s Church in Victoria while he began his ‘incremental, insidious’ manipulation of girls from the congregation.
The rapist, a sex addict described as ‘every parent’s worst nightmare’ – tightened his psychological grip on the young victims by sending them flattering messages through social media.
In 2007 the theology student ‘trapped’ a 17-year-old he had befriended and raped her as she sought shelter from a torrential downpour at his church quarters in Victoria, central London.
Storey raped a 16-year-old twice at his student digs in Oxford after plying her with alcohol at a concert in 2008.
He used his respectable position as a youth leader to gain the second victim’s trust, and sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions between 2008 and 2009.
The youngster was so under his control she described him as ‘more influential than God’.
The girls had complained about Storey to the church but their allegations were ‘brushed aside.’
Storey claimed the sex was consensual and said his victims ‘seemed to be enjoying it’, but he was convicted of three counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration after at Woolwich Crown Court.
He was found guilty of three counts of rape and one assault by penetration following a trial at London’s Woolwich Crown Court.
The women plucked up the courage to come forward and tell police about their ordeals after Storey was convicted in May 2014 of grooming girls aged 10 to 16 and encouraging them to perform sexual acts via social media.
Storey claimed the sex was consensual and said his victims ‘seemed to be enjoying it’, but he was convicted of three counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration after at Woolwich Crown Court.
Today he laughed and joked as he chatted to his prison guard in the dock but hung his head as Judge Philip Katz QC sentenced him to concurrent sentences of 15 years for each offence with an extension period of four years when he is released.
Judge Katz said: “There was a disturbing tone, arrogant and ugly, to your evidence in the first trial,’ said Judge Katz.
“All of these offences occurred against the background of you being the leader of a church group which they had attended for years.
“The betrayal of trust in the offences to both those young women was significant.
“Your behaviour also demonstrated rank hypocrisy.”
Judge Katz slammed Storey for displaying ‘fake religiosity’ and treating his ‘highly vulnerable’ victims with cruel contempt.
Referring to Storey’s first victim, he said: “You effectively trapped her in a toilet as she was changing and you forced her to give you oral sex.
“Afterwards you treated her with contempt, not even you suggested that there was any kind of tenderness.
“So much for your vocation as a Christian minister.”
He continued: “The psychological and emotional harm that you caused her was severe.”
Judge Katz said Storey had been developing ‘paedophile’ tendencies but deliberately waited until his victims were over the age of consent before he sexually assaulted them.
He described Storey’s ‘callous, selfish’ treatment of his second victim, saying: “She had had far too much to drink, she was in unfamiliar surroundings and was without the life experience to deal with it.
“Afterwards you treated her with a total lack of respect, even asking her to pay for the music ticket.”
He added: “The psychological harm was compounded by the way the Diocese and individuals of the church mishandled it.”
Judge Katz said he had read media reports which included a statement by the Diocese of London that implied that the police were at fault for their handling of the case.
He said: “If the Diocese did issue such a statement and if it made those suggestions, it was a shameful misrepresentation of the truth.”
He said the institution was ‘stone deaf’ to allegations of sexual abuse against Storey.
He said: “There was a wholesale failure for those responsible at the time for safeguarding.
“The other individuals connected to the camp and the church did their best but they were unqualified to deal with what was thrown at them.”
Judge Katz said the police were to be commended for ‘thoroughly and diligently’ dealing with the case, and said this was ‘something the Diocese was incapable of’.
During his trial at Woolwich Crown Court, the jury heard Storey asked one of the girls to arrange a “threesome” which would involve a school friend and her younger sister.
Speaking through tears from behind a screen, the woman, now 25, said: “It was like he had me in a spider’s web. 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.”
Detective Constable Paul Hill, of the Met’s Sexual Offences Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: “The victims in this case were young teenagers when Storey assaulted them, having been groomed from a very young age.
“In his position as a youth leader he manipulated the victims and forced them to engage in sexual acts that they did not want to do.
“They have shown courage in coming forward after so many years to tell us what happened to them. This conviction goes to show that the sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command will pursue sex offenders and bring them to justice.
“Storey thought he had got away with it, but the victims in this case were determined to see him brought to justice.”
March 2016
Perverted pastor who raped two teens was more ‘influential than god’
A perverted pastor who raped two teenagers in his flock after grooming hundreds of children on Facebook is facing years behind bars.
Timothy Storey, 35, was described as ‘every parent’s worst nightmare’ after he preached the virtues of abstinence at St Michael’s Church in Victoria while targeting girls from the congregation.
The Oxford theology student began his ‘incremental, insidious’ grooming by sending the girls flattering messages through social media.
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 consented but he has now been convicted of three counts of rape and one sexual assault.
The court heard the first victim, now 25, met children’s pastor Storey when she joined the church in 2002.
He was also her leader on a residential bible camp in Kent called Crusades that she attended when she was 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.’
She said she approached Reverend Jeremy Crossley about the abuse, but told the church had to ‘look after’ Storey and think about his ‘welfare and needs,’ the court heard.
When the second victim 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 woman, now 24, was also a member of the St Michael’s congregation, and attended Crusader camp.
She said Storey began grooming her via 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.
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.’
The pair did not go to police until May last year 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.
Storey 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, of Peckham Grove, 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.
Storey was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on 15 April.
February 2016
Pastor who preached about abstinence raped two teenage churchgoers after grooming hundreds of children on Facebook
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.
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