For nearly four decades, John Grant used the trust placed in him by churches, youth groups and communities to identify, groom and assault vulnerable young men. On Monday 14 September, a judge at Wood Green Crown Court finally held him to account, sentencing the 77-year-old to eight and a half years in prison.
Grant, of Colney Hatch Lane, Hornsey, had been convicted at the same court on 13 July of eleven offences committed between 1970 and 2008—three counts of sexual assault, six counts of indecent assault and two counts of causing another person to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity against four victims. He was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the sex offender register for life.
The scale of Grant’s access to potential victims was significant. Between 1970 and 2012, he held senior positions across churches and youth groups in North London and beyond. His most senior role was as Moderator for the London Baptist Association at Muswell Hill Baptist Church in Haringey, a position that allowed him to travel across the district, preaching and moderating at local churches. He also ran youth groups across North London. Outside the capital, Grant was a member of Billingham Baptist Church in Stockton-on-Tees, Broomsknoll Church of Scotland in Airdrie between 1965 and 1970, and Ward Green Baptist Church in Barnsley between 1973 and 1984.
Detectives found a consistent pattern across all of the complainants. Grant would identify vulnerable young men, some in financial hardship, others involved in youth groups he led, before building relationships through coercive control and manipulation and ultimately assaulting them. The investigation was triggered when a victim-survivor came forward to report abuse spanning a 30-year period, prompting the Metropolitan Police to launch extensive enquiries across every institution and organisation Grant had been connected to.
Dominique Burrell for the Crown Prosecution Service was unambiguous in her assessment. The way Grant abused his position as a trusted religious leader to prey on young men in his community was, she said, calculated and predatory. He targeted teenagers through youth groups and befriended vulnerable young men in financial hardship—manufacturing relationships for his own gratification. The impact on those he assaulted had been lasting.
Detective Constable Liam Levy of the Metropolitan Police praised the courage of the victim-survivors whose accounts were central to building the case. Their bravery in coming forward, he said, had made the conviction possible and without them, the true scale of Grant’s offending across nearly four decades may never have come to light.
The Metropolitan Police is now appealing for any further potential victim-survivors to come forward. Given the breadth of Grant’s connections, across North London youth groups, multiple churches and communities spanning more than forty years, detectives believe there may be others who have not yet reported their experiences.
Anyone with information can call police on 101 quoting reference CAD3277/08JUL26, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
