Jury gets case of ex-religious leader accused of sex abuse

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The case against a disgraced religious leader accused of sexually abusing a former member went to the jury Thursday after a week of testimony that included graphic descriptions of abuse that the accuser said she endured as a child.

This is the second sexual abuse trial for Michael Sperou, the 69-year-old guru of the North Clackamas Bible Community, the Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Sperou established the small nondenominational congregation in the 1980s and operated it out of two homes in Portland.

His 2015 conviction for sex crimes was tossed out by the Oregon Supreme Court, which concluded that witnesses in the original trial had improperly referred to the accuser as a victim. The court found that the reference may have undermined Sperou’s presumption of innocence and affected his right to a fair trial.

While Sperou has multiple accusers, only one woman's now falls with the statute of limitations. He is accused of two counts of first-degree sexual penetration of a person under the age of 12.

Prosecutors described him as a serial child predator who exerted extraordinary control over day-to-day aspects of his followers’ lives.

Sperou’s defense lawyers have argued that the woman in the case isn't credible and that her account is inconsistent but acknowledged that Sperou engaged in disturbing behavior with her.