Children of God cult rapist jailed for 'horrific' offences

Derek Lincoln was extradited to Scotland last year after he was arrested in the south of France

A predator who used his senior role in the Children of God cult to rape two girls more than three decades ago has been jailed for 11-and-a-half years.

Derek Lincoln was extradited to Scotland from the south of France after a complex and harrowing investigation.

Police discovered Lincoln was a "house shepherd" in the cult, meaning he had unfettered access to children.

The 74-year-old, who used several aliases, is thought to have more than a dozen victims across the UK.

Det Sgt Neil Wilson described Lincoln's offences as "horrific" and urged others who were targeted by him to come forward.

The Children of God cult began in the United States in the late 1960s.

Its founder, David Berg, told members that God was love and love was sex, so there should be no limits, regardless of age or relationship.

Berg's sect spread and claimed to have 10,000 full-time members in 130 communities around the world by the 1970s.

They included Hollywood stars Rose McGowan and Joaquin Phoenix, who were born into the cult.

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Lincoln, who has no previous convictions, appeared at the High Court in Glasgow via video link after admitting his crimes last month.

The judge, Lord Matthews, told him: "I have no idea if your remorse is genuine or not.

"You had told your victims that you were sorry, but you continued to abuse them.

"You say 'it just happened', but it did not just happen.

"You sacrificed their dreams for your own perverted desires."

Lincoln has been on remand in HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow since he was extradited on a European Arrest Warrant on 9 October last year.

But, as part of his plea negotiations, BBC Scotland understands he will be transferred back to France to serve his sentence.

Det Sgt Neil Wilson's team uncovered evidence of "widespread" sexual abuse within the cult

Police Scotland's National Rape Task Force was first alerted about Lincoln by Hertfordshire Constabulary in late 2014.

At the time Det Sgt Wilson admitted he had never heard of the Children of God.

As the investigation progressed officers uncovered evidence of "widespread" sexual abuse.

The team established that the sect had arrived in Scotland in the 1970s and within a decade had thousands of members.

Lincoln's first victim, who knew him as John Green, named others but the process of tracking them down was complicated by the fact the cult members had aliases, often biblical names.

'Boarded up'

Another major challenge was determining where the offences took place as many communes were based in remote locations.

Det Sgt Wilson told BBC Scotland: "The children were raised in isolated conditions and moved around a lot, more often than not under the cover of darkness in the back of vans.

"They were not told where they were and they were not allowed to play outside or mix with other children.

"The curtains in any houses that they lived in were always closed and doors were boarded up."

As a result officers faced a significant challenge to map their movements.

Det Sgt Wilson added: "We were able to work out the various locations from landmarks and the architecture of buildings that victims remembered seeing."

Prayer classes and chores were a part of everyday life and children, who were mostly born into the cult, were also home-schooled.

For the majority their only interaction with society was when they were taken into city centres to beg or play instruments.

They were also well-drilled about keeping secrets from "systemites" in the outside world, especially social workers.

Some were even put on a plane and sent to cult members in countries such as Pakistan and India.

The organisation had communes in Edinburgh and Glasgow, where some cult properties had up to 50 residents under one roof.

The attacks Lincoln admitted occurred at various addresses in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire between 1989 and 1996.

Det Sgt Wilson said: "When the offences took place he held the role of what victims would describe as a house shepherd, which meant he had complete access to people's homes and bedrooms.

"He was a teacher, he was trusted around people's children and, when the parents weren't there, he used this access as a means to prey on young girls."

'Light went out'

Last month, the High Court in Glasgow heard the girls were as young as nine and 10 when they were initially targeted.

The first victim described Lincoln as "stern and controlling" and said he once put duct tape on her mouth and beat her with a belt.

Another time he pinned her down on a bed and held his hand over her mouth while he raped her.

Recalling the traumatic experience, she said: "The light went out inside me."

When the girl was aged 12 Lincoln apologised to her for his behaviour but, despite this, his offending became more frequent.

It included a serious sex attack in a wooded area after he took her out jogging.

Prosecutor Kath Harper said: "The abuse continued daily and sometimes after raping her he would say 'thank you'."

She added that the victim, who was dubbed "the weird kid" by other youngsters, also tried to take her own life.

After abusing his second victim Lincoln would tell her he was sorry and frequently bought her gifts.

Det Sgt Wilson said: "Any concerns that were raised to other senior house members were just ignored and the offending just became commonplace.

"It was expected and they knew it was coming."

Nomadic lifestyle

The cult set up communes in properties that were either gifted by members or rented and financed through benefit claims.

When cashflow became a problem and eviction orders were served Lincoln was among those tasked with identifying new locations.

Precisely when the sex offender, who is originally from Newcastle, moved north is unclear.

But he is thought to have become active in the cult as a missionary in his 20s, never had any formal employment and lived a transient, nomadic lifestyle.

Lincoln married but, according to detectives, was in a "number of relationships" and fathered "several children".

The UK-wide probe also involved the National Crime Agency and UK Border Agency.

And when police were tipped off that he may be abroad they worked with Europol, Interpol and the French authorities.

Those inquiries led to the city of Pau where Lincoln was found to be "cooperative" and living a quiet life with no apparent links to any cult.

The case is the second involving the Children of God, following the 2018 conviction of Alexander Watt.

He admitted four charges of sexually abusing his daughter and another child in Renfrewshire and on the east coast of Scotland.

His daughter Verity Carter later described life in the cult as "hell on earth".

And last year her brother Jonathan Watt told BBC Scotland's The Nine the organisation was "a world inside a world."

Police said they have no evidence to link Watt with Lincoln.

'Sincere apologies'

The sect, which later became known as The Family International, told BBC Scotland Lincoln was "excommunicated" in 1999.

In 2010 The Family International disbanded its previous structure and now describes itself as a "small online network" with 1,500 members in 80 countries.

A spokeswoman told BBC Scotland that, prior to its policy for the protection of minors being adopted in 1986, children were exposed to "sexually inappropriate behaviour".

Three years later sexual contact between an adult and a child was declared an "excommunicable offence."

The spokeswoman added: "The Family International has expressed its apologies on numerous occasions to any members or former members who feel that they were hurt in any way during their membership

"We continue to extend our sincere apologies to anyone who experienced anything negative or hurtful during their childhood or time as members of the Family International."

Det Sgt Wilson welcomed the sentence and issued a direct appeal to former cult members.

He said: "Nothing will undo the despicable acts that Lincoln committed and I hope the victims finally have some sense of closure with these convictions.

"My message to anyone who has been the victim of abuse is that it has become clear that time is no barrier to reporting.

"Police Scotland will give you a voice and your voice will be heard."