Use of Jesus Army’s fortune is appalling, says victims’ lawyers

A lawyer representing 150 victims of the Jesus Army has said plans to allow people accused of child abuse to get a share of the sect’s wealth are “shameful”.

A. BBC investigation It has revealed that 172 former loyalists of the disgraced evangelical sect based in Northamptonshire will receive payouts far larger than those awarded to victims under the compensation scheme.

It is understood some of the people accused of committing abuse or covering up abuse may have been among those who benefited from the group’s assets, estimated at more than £50 million, which survivors described as “sickening”.

Malcolm Johnson, a solicitor at Lime Solicitors, said the only correct course of action was to redirect the remaining assets for charitable use.

A spokesman for the Jesus Fellowship Community Trust (JFCT), which is winding down the group, said the identities of those who benefited from the fund were not disclosed to protect the privacy of victims who raised their claims privately.

He stressed that the trustees had consulted Mr Johnson over a long period of time and had no authority to redirect the assets.

According to the court order, anyone with unresolved claims against JFCT must file by October 16 or they will permanently lose the ability to file.

The Fellowship of Jesus has acquired dozens of large homes and successful businesses over more than 50 years; These were paid for by 3,500 community members who put everything they earned and owned into a trust.

Documents reviewed by the BBC reveal that the value of the group’s assets in 2017 was £58.6 million.

When the trust closed in 2020, assets were liquidated and approximately £25 million was distributed among the remaining 172 members, known as listed beneficiaries, in the form of relief or return of capital.

The beneficiaries also reported receiving a collective £63,000.

Last year The foundation paid compensation to 601 victims Those who say they suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse in the Fellowship of Jesus, with individuals receiving an average of £13,000 each.

Some of the damages were paid by insurers and court documents show the trust was left with £25 million, which will now be split among the listed beneficiaries.

This means that about 10 percent of the Fellowship of Jesus’ total assets were spent on sacrifices, although the trustees insist that the real figure is closer to 20 percent.

Mr Johnson told the BBC the abuse suffered by his clients was “truly distressing”.

He said he was aware that no action had been taken by the church against many of the alleged perpetrators, some of whom were long-time members.

“News [some people accused of abuse] It can be terrible if they charge their victims more.

“This is a shameful example of how cults such as the Jesus Army evade responsibility for their alleged crimes,” Mr Johnson added.

JFCT trustees said all allegations made during the compensation scheme were reported to the police, who were the only party able to take action.

A review of claims carried out by the JFCT identified 539 alleged abusers within the sect – about a fifth of the total membership – including 162 former leaders.

It is understood that approximately ten former members who were convicted of crimes committed in the community centers were banned from distributing their assets.

Lawyer Kathleen Hallisey of Scott-Moncrieff and Associates says she has had around 60 new clients making claims since the BBC documentary Inside the Cult of the Jesus Army aired.

Among them are eight women known as native sisters.

“If you were a married woman in the Fellowship of Jesus, you had to work as a domestic servant and be forced to cook, wash and clean every day for a large household full of men, as well as raise your own children.

“I believe that in the context of modern slavery this amounts to exploitation because if you don’t do this unpaid work you are forced to leave the community impoverished, without money or support.”

Ms. Hallisey said many of the new applicants she interviewed were experiencing depression or trying to take their own lives.

He said a woman who left the community in 2014 made lunch for 38 people while heavily pregnant and gave birth that afternoon.

JFCT’s board of trustees publicly apologized for the abuse that occurred at the church and said all allegations had been reported to the police.

“The trustees recognized the importance of meaningfully engaging not only with the listed beneficiaries but also with others who have an interest in the liquidation.”

The spokesman said it was misleading to portray the foundation’s beneficiaries as a group of perpetrators with a bright line among victims, and insisted the situation was much more complex.

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