Cindy Clemishire, 55, the woman who publicly identified herself as the victim of Morris’s sexual abuse, was present in the courtroom as he pleaded guilty. In a prepared statement she told him: “There is no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child. We were never in an ‘inappropriate relationship.’ I was not a ‘young lady’ but a child. You committed a crime against me.”

A leaked transcript of a phone call revealed that in 2005 Morris tried to bribe Clemishire into silence, telling her to “put a price on it”.

He also became a spiritual adviser to Donald Trump. He joined the White House spiritual advisory committee during the first Trump presidency and was part of a campaign to mobilize evangelical voters for him in last year’s presidential campaign.

Trump also visited Gateway church in 2020 where he praised Morris and his senior team as “great people with a great reputation”.

Megachurch pastor and ex-Trump adviser pleads guilty to child sexual abuse

Robert Morris to serve only six months in county jail after charged with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with child

the Guardian (www.theguardian.com)