iStockA church pastor abused a woman and eight children over a period spanning more than two decades.
Rev James Haram put his traumatised victims through ordeals branded “truly awful” by a judge.
This included the 51-year-old raping a woman and striking children with a wooden spoon or a rod.
Haram – who had been with the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) in Glasgow – was found guilty of a total of 19 charges of physical and sexual abuse.
The crimes spanned between 1997 and 2020 at addresses in the city as well as Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire and in South Ayrshire.
Haram was remanded in custody at the High Court in Glasgow and will be sentenced in September.
The woman regularly suffered at his hands. He called her names, punched walls, chucked household items around in anger and threatened to hit her with a piano stool.
He tracked where she went, checked who she was talking to and forced her to take part in religious activities.
Haram once mowed over the flowers the woman had taken time to grow.
The pastor also suggested she should kill herself.
The violence escalated with Haram grabbing and choking the woman. She recalled her “whole body going limp”.
Jurors heard the Haram would pester the woman into sex while making biblical references. She was told that she had to “subject” herself to him.
The victim recalled how she would sob with “tears down her face”.
Haram said: “I want to make clear that every sexual encounter was consensual.”
His KC Brian McConnachie put to him: “The jury may have got the impression that there was many times she would give in due to you constantly badgering her.”
Haram replied: “That is not true – there were plenty of times that she said no.”
He claimed during his evidence that the woman had “many wonderful gifts”, but that she had used them to “turn against” him. He called her “incredibly convincing”.
But, the reverend of Dumbarton did accept there were “occasional flare-ups of aggression”.
The abuse of the children was said to include carrying out “modesty checks” on girls to see what they were wearing.
He compared one to the comic book villain Harley Quinn.
Haram said: “As God is my witness, there is not an ounce in truth in that.”
Prosecutor John Macpherson put to him that one girl gave “a fairly graphic account” of being “regularly beaten” by Haram.
He insisted this was “wholly fabricated”.
Jurors heard he flew into a rage while in a car with two of the children and claimed he would deliberately crash the vehicle, killing them all.
But, Haram told the trial: “They knew I did not mean it.”
Judge Tom Hughes deferred sentencing for reports.
He told Haram: “I think it is fair to say this has been a deeply distressing case for everyone involved.
“The jury has heard a different version of events from all the witnesses who gave evidence.
“It appears that (what happened) was truly awful – incidents of violence, aggression, all sorts of difficulties and the sexual offending which took place.
“During that period, you appeared to be living a life whereby you were acting in an official capacity as a man of the cloth.
“You have now been convicted of extremely serious offences which will obviously carry a lengthy custodial sentence.”
Haram had been on bail, but was remanded meantime. He appeared to be clutching a bible as he was led to the cells.
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