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| Jehovah's Witness Mark Sewell jailed for abusing girls | Jehovah's Witness Mark Sewell jailed for abusing girls |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A senior Jehovah's Witness has been jailed for 14 years for sexually abusing women and girl worshippers. | A senior Jehovah's Witness has been jailed for 14 years for sexually abusing women and girl worshippers. |
| Church elder Mark Sewell, 53, used his position to prey on young women in his own congregation in Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan. | |
| Merthyr Crown Court heard how he sexually abused two young girls and raped a women after overpowering her. | |
| Sewell was found guilty of eight sex offences, including one of rape. | Sewell was found guilty of eight sex offences, including one of rape. |
| The jury had heard Sewell was a trusted and respected member of the Jehovah's Witness church, who used his role to "exploit and abuse" members of his 120-strong congregation. | |
| He raped one woman, leaving her pregnant, but she later miscarried. | |
| He also abused two young girls - one was just 12 when he kissed her and started giving her massages. | |
| His victims were banned from "gossiping" about the attacks by other church elders. | |
| 'No remorse' | |
| One told the court: "I just felt totally crushed. It was as if he had this power over everyone and no-one could see the real him except for me." | |
| Sewell was cleared of the complaints by a Jehovah's Witness judicial committee after the women reported his behaviour to the church. | |
| But a jury at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court found him guilty of a string of attacks between 1987 and 1995. | |
| Sentencing him to 14 years, Judge Richard Twomlow, said: "Your victims felt inhibited about what they could say because of your position as an elder." | |
| "You caused distress in the lives of your victims who had the feeling they were disbelieved. | |
| "You have shown not a thread of remorse." | |
| The Jehovah's Witness church provided nothing to help the police in their investigation, the court heard. | |
| All Jehovah's Witness congregation are registered charities and the Charity Commission is investigating the case. |