The former head of a cult-like church in Chatsworth, Ont., is headed to jail for 18 months.
Fred King, 57, pleaded guilty earlier this year to nine counts of assault -- relating to his time as leader of the Church of Jesus Christ Restored from 1978 to 2008 -- and he was sentenced Wednesday in court in Owen Sound, Ont.
The abuse included squeezing a child's hand with crushing force for fighting with a sister, and beating a teen in church in front of its members after she'd tried to run away.
He also beat a young man stripped of clothes in front of his mother, and then left him standing outside for hours at night as mosquitoes bit him.
Justice Clayton Conlan called the litany of physical abuse that King -- who was known as "the prophet" -- admitted to in court in May particularly disturbing as he accepted the sentence recommended jointly by the Crown and defence.
Another 16 charges against King were withdrawn by the Crown.
King's brother Judson, 61, is scheduled to be in court Nov. 7.
The Oakville, Ont., man is charged with assault with a weapon, sexual assault and assault arising from alleged incidents between 1981 and 2007.
