Philippa Barnes, raised in the Jesus Fellowship, a UK Christian community founded by Noel Stanton in 1969, describes a life marked by communal living, strict rules, and ultimately, widespread abuse. From childhood, she witnessed and experienced controlling behaviour, including physical discipline ("rodding"), emotional manipulation, and the suppression of individual expression. In 1997, at age 17, Barnes testified in court about the sexual abuse of her friend, Marie, by a fellow member, leading to a three-month prison sentence for the perpetrator. However, the perpetrator was later welcomed back into the fellowship.

John Everett's sociological study, published in 2024, concludes that the Jesus Fellowship exhibited key characteristics of a cult, using methods to gradually sever members' ties to outside society. The Fellowship’s actions also prompted a police investigation, Operation Lifeboat (2015), which resulted in five convictions for abuse, but the scale of abuse only fully emerged later, with the establishment of the Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association (2018).

In 2019, the Jesus Fellowship voted to shut down. A redress scheme, launched in 2022, received 601 applications, revealing 264 alleged abusers and estimating that one in six children in community houses experienced abuse between 1969 and 2019. The scheme paid out £7.7m, and while offering closure for some survivors, like Philippa Barnes, others, like Sasha Feaver-Roche, found the process insufficient, highlighting the ongoing impact of the systemic abuse.

Impact Statement: The case highlights the lasting effects of cultic abuse and the challenges survivors face in seeking justice and redress. It also raises questions about the legal mechanisms for addressing systemic harm inflicted by groups that exert extensive control over members' lives.