Former church minister warned of long sentence for raping family members in "Victorian nightmare"

A FORMER church minister has been warned he faces a long prison sentence for raping his wife and stepdaughter in a scenario that amounted to a "Victorian nightmare".

The man from Gloucester, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was a regular churchgoer and had previously been a minister who had a "particular understanding of the Scriptures", a court heard.

The man denied 13 charges of sexual and psychological abuse but was found guilty of all but one. The charges covered a 15 year period from March 1995 until January 2010.

During the trial, prosecutor Ian Fenny said: "He was of the view that there was effectively a Biblical precedent to say a wife would always have to submit herself to her husband and if she did not she committed a sin."

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"Their lives were a total Victorian nightmare," said Mr Fenny, who said the children were subjected to violence.

In evidence, the man acknowledged he Biblical beliefs but denied all the allegations, claiming he loved the children.

Judge Jamie Tabor remanded him in custody to await sentence on a date to be fixed and warned him to expect a long prison term.