Former leader of cult-like Ontario church pleads guilty to assault

Fred King admitted to spitting on people, kicking, punching or slapping church members and making some of them strip in front of the congregation.

The Canadian Press/May 10, 2016

Owen Sound, Ontario -- The former leader of a southwestern Ontario church that police have described as cult-like pleaded guilty Tuesday in an Owen Sound, Ont., court to nine counts of assault.

Fred King, 57, of Chatsworth Township, Ont., is to be sentenced on Sept. 14.

In an agreed statement of facts read in court by Crown Attorney Michael Martin, King admits to spitting on people, kicking, punching or slapping church members and making some of them strip in front of the rest of the congregation.

While King pleaded guilty to the assault charges, 16 other charges — including sexual assault, sexual interference, and uttering death threats — were withdrawn by the Crown.

Known as “The Prophet” at the Church of Jesus Christ Restored in Chatsworth, Ont., King’s charges relate to his time as leader of the Church from 1978 to 2008.

He was arrested after an Owen Sound woman told her story to the Ontario Provincial Police and media in 2012.

A book was released in 2013, chronicling the woman’s experiences as a church member.

King’s brother, Judson King, is set to stand trial in June on charges of sexual assault, assault and assault with a weapon from 1981 to 2007.

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