Preacher preyed on young women in his adoring flock
By Sue Clough, Courts Correspondent
(Filed: 07/05/2004)
An evangelical preacher whose charismatic style drew capacity congregations to his church and brought in millions of pounds in donations was convicted yesterday of preying on young women in his flock.
Douglas Goodman, 47, a former bus driver, now faces a jail sentence and an inquiry into the finances of his former church in north London, which was closed down by the Charity Commission.
As he left the Old Bailey, Goodman - who lives in a £1.5 million house and drove Mercedes and Porsches - was surrounded by hymn-singing members of his new congregation.
Goodman, who was not ordained, started a new church in Wembley, west London, after the Victory Christian Centre in Kilburn was closed down in 2002 when it was unable to pay creditors despite an estimated income for that year of £7 million.
When he took over the VCC in 1996 it had fewer than 100 members but soon the church attracted congregations of 3,000 with people queuing outside to get in. John Fashanu and his family were among the worshippers.
Stewards went round with collection buckets and members contributed 10 per cent of their income. Goodman, who preached in an American evangelical style, earned even more money from videos and books.
He spent lavishly, using £21,000 from the church to take his family on holiday to Hawaii, buying designer clothes and giving expensive presents to a variety of young women, the court heard.
John Coffey, QC, prosecuting, told the jury that Goodman was "a charismatic leader; he was respected". But, he alleged, he "abused his position and the trust of the congregation. He acted in a predatory fashion, singling out those who were vulnerable.
"He targeted mainly younger members of the congregation, posing as a paternal figure, rendering them susceptible to his advances." When the women complained to church elders they were told to leave.
Goodman's counsel, Courtney Griffiths, QC, likened him to John Major and Bill Clinton. "Did they end up in the dock? No," he told the jury.
He said Goodman "may be guilty of moral failing, but this is not a court of morals. He is not on trial for infidelity or hypocrisy. He may have taken advantage of the adulation heaped on him by female members of the church, but he is not on trial for that."
The jury spent a week considering verdicts before convicting him of two charges of indecently assaulting a 19-year-old woman in a cinema.
He was also found guilty of attempting to indecently assault a dancer of 26 and of perverting the course of justice by threatening to send to a newspaper compromising pictures of a woman who had complained about his behaviour.
The jury cleared him of two charges of indecent assault. They could not agree verdicts on a rape charge and seven other charges of indecent assault.
A jury failed to reach verdicts at an earlier trial last year. Goodman, of Collingtree, Northampton, will be sentenced today.
He now faces an inquiry by the Charity Commission into the finances of the Kilburn church. By the time the commission acted on complaints about the misappropriation of funds and personal benefits to Goodman and his wife, Erica, the coffers were bare.
A spokesman for the commission, which is due to publish the report of its findings soon, said: "Our investigators identified significant and inappropriate benefits to Goodman and his family as well as a number of trustees."
The Fraud Squad and the Inland Revenue are expected to study the report.
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Churchgoers pray for jailed preacher
By Sue Clough, Courts Correspondent
(Filed: 08/05/2004)
Devoted followers of a preacher convicted of sexually assaulting vulnerable members of his congregation packed the public gallery and prayed outside the Old Bailey as he was jailed for three and a half years yesterday.
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Members of the Victory Christian Centre outside the Old Bailey |
Douglas Goodman, 47, took over the Victory Christian Centre, in a former dance hall in Kilburn, north London, in 1996. It became Europe's fastest-growing Christian centre.
But in 2002 the Charity Commission began an investigation into missing funds.
Goodman bought expensive presents including cars and holidays for young women members of the church. Four, aged between 17 and 32, complained that he had made sexual advances and when the church elders rejected their claims they went to the police.
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Douglas Goodman |
The jury convicted the married former bus driver of two charges of indecently assaulting a 19-year-old woman.
He was also found guilty of attempting to indecently assault a dancer of 26 after trying to kiss her in his car, and of perverting the course of justice by threatening to send compromising pictures of a woman to a newspaper.
Goodman, who lived in a £1.5 million house in Collingtree, Northampton, left school at 15 and was never ordained.
