Former South Yorkshire church member jailed for historic sex offences
Convicted sex offender was in South Yorkshire during 70s and 80s
A former South Yorkshire church member has been jailed for historic sex offences.
John Grant, aged 77, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison this week, given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the sex offender register for life.
It came after he was found guilty 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, at a trial in July.
Grant, of Colney Hatch Lane, Hornsey, was a senior figure in churches and local communities across the country between 1970 and 2012. He held various roles, including church deacon and youth group leader.
He was a member of Ward Green Baptist Church, in Barnsley, between 1973 and 1984.
The nature of Grant’s offending and his lengthy association with the church as an influential member at multiple religious institutions has led the Met’s investigators to believe there may be more victims who have yet to come forward.
Detective Chief Inspector Elsa Mak, whose team led the investigation, said: “We would like to pay tribute to the bravery of the victim-survivors who have already come forward. Their experiences and accounts directly shaped our investigation while it was in its early stages, and we thank them for putting their trust in us to help identify the scale of Grant’s prolific offending across four decades.”
Police first became aware of Grant’s offending in 2023 when a victim-survivor reported that he had been repeatedly sexually assaulted over a 30-year period. The abuse began in 1994 when Grant began asking him whether he wanted massages.
Despite rejecting the offers, the victim-survivor stated that he felt pressured into massages involving sexual touching. This continued until 1998. It stopped for a year but the abuse then continued until 2008.
Following this disclosure, officers launched extensive enquiries to identify organisations and churches connected to Grant and further victim-survivors were identified.
It was discovered that Grant groomed vulnerable young men through coercive control and behaviour, before sexually assaulting them.
Anyone with information or wishing to report offences relating to Grant should call police on 101 quoting CAD3277/08JUL26.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
For confidential help, the 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line offers free phone and online chat for anyone aged 16+ in England and Wales: 0808 500 2222 or visit 247sexualabusesupport.org.uk.