Church pastor who raped woman and abused children jailed for 14 years

A church pastor who raped a woman and abused eight children across four decades has been jailed for 14 years.

Rev James Haram, who had been with the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), was found guilty of 19 charges of physical and sexual abuse.

The attacks took place between 1997 and 2020 at addresses in Glasgow, Dumbarton and South Ayrshire.

The 51-year-old from Dumbarton was found guilty after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow in August.

The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) is separate to the Free Church following a split in 2000.

The court had heard how Haram raped, attacked and verbally abused the woman.

This included suggesting she should kill herself.

He also pressured her into sex while making biblical references.

Jurors also heard evidence of Haram’s child abuse, with one girl recalling how she was regularly beaten by the pastor.

He also hit children with a wooden spoon or a rod and carried out “modesty checks” on girls to see what they were wearing.

Judge Tom Hughes praised the victims for their “brave testimonies”.

He told Haram: “During the time you were committing these offences, you were actively involved in religious practices.

“The congregation trusted you. They looked to you as their leader. While that was going on and you were doing your ministry work, you were actually committing appalling offences.

“You were betraying that trust and your position as a man of the cloth.

“You should have been a role model but, in reality, there was a darker, deeper side to you whereby you were involved in sexual and physically violent abuse.”

Haram was put on the sex offenders list for an indefinite period. He has also banned from approaching or contacting any of the victims.