Supreme Court hears: Hindu priest sexually abused hundreds of followers

She said she used to drink when she was alone to block out the memories.

“I drank alcohol to block out what he had done to me. I drank alcohol because I thought I was going to die because of what Mr. Kalia had done to me – he had sexually abused me.

“For me it was a way to cope with what he had done to me. He had raped me in hotel rooms and sexually abused me in his room.

“I needed something that could help because it was the only thing that could numb the pain and the memory of what he had done to me.”

The woman said she never had an intimate relationship because of Mr. Kalia.

She told the court: “I was two years old, was raised by this man and in the beginning I saw him as a father figure, as this god.”

Indian communities “don’t talk about sex”

The woman said she was shocked when another family member told her she, too, had been abused.

She said that in Indian communities “sex is not talked about” and that Mr Kalia “relies on it”.

She said Mr Kalia was trying to divide families to exert control.

“It’s a divide and conquer principle. He messes up your family so you never find out what he did,” she said.

Mr Kalia began preaching in 1983 after moving to the UK from India and claims he experienced miracles as a teenager.

This includes being told he would never walk again after a motorcycle accident, but after a visit to Himachal Pradesh, the centre of worship of Baba Balak Nath, he got back on his feet.

The hearing before Judge Martin Spencer continues.