The world of spiritualism is embroiled in a bitter dispute after the British head of the International Spiritualist Federation was jailed for raping girls and young women while giving them naked energy massages.

Mervyn Wright, who claimed to be acting as a conduit for the powers of an Ancient Chinese medicine man, became renowned for his work at spiritualist churches in several countries.

The charismatic healer was very popular with women patients and his pre-eminence was confirmed two years ago when the international federation elected him president, a post first held by the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Months after his election in the summer of 2006 he was charged with sex assaults against seven patients, the youngest 14.

The victims were abused while he gave them “Chi” massages between 2003 and 2006, Värmlands District Court in Sweden was told. At the time he was working at two centres in Sweden as well as in Finland and Switzerland. Wright was jailed for five years and lost his second appeal last year. However, the international federation decided to inform him only last month that he faces expulsion, after a vote by members.

The Spiritualists’ National Union, which represents 350 churches and centres in Britain, announced yesterday that it was severing its links with the international federation. Its complaints include the federation’s failure to expel Wright promptly and its plans to hold its next worldwide convention 20 miles from where he carried out some of his attacks.

Wright, now 62, from Hornchurch, Essex, claimed to offer healing through the spirit of a 1,000-year-old Dr Lu and a 300-year-old Native American called Cherokee. On his website he boasted: “A wonderful Chinese doctor from the spirit world, Dr Lu, treats patients through me. He can take over my subconscious and nervous system which enables me to become Dr Lu’s personality.”

The former lorry driver, who is also known as Johnson, moved to Sweden to continue his healing work. He selected his victims on the basis of their “special energies” and told them to remove their clothes to avoid “blocking” contact with the spirit world. He attacked them at an educational centre in Västerås, a motel outside Örebro, his home in Hammarö and healing centres in Karlstad.

When the women threatened to complain he warned them that they would be punished with the onset of fatal illnesses from the spirit world.

The court ruled that Wright’s “use of his position as a respected medium to sexually molest girls and younger women aggravates his crime. Further, when they had turned to him for help, he had known of their emotional and mental fragility and vulnerability.”

The Spiritualists’ National Union, a founding member of the federation in 1923, said yesterday that it was concerned at the handling of Wright’s case and other issues surrounding administration and appointments.

Duncan Gascoyne, president of the national union, said: “We consider it very serious that [the federation] have got someone who has been convicted of a serious offence and has lost an appeal and they did not have his membership taken away immediately.”

Wright’s former wife, Maria Ottersson, 41, said that although she had suspicions about his activities during their marriage he had used his connections with the spirit world to convince her that she was wrong.

Ms Ottersson, who is president of a spiritualist group in Karlstad, Sweden, said: “Women find him very attractive. He is a very charming man and very charismatic. I noticed he had an interest in young, pretty girls and he seemed to spend more time in trances and giving them massages.

“When I complained he would put himself into a trance and have the spirit world talk to me. I now know it was just him talking.”

The International Spiritualist Federation voted last month to order the executive committee to expel Wright.

A leading woman spiritualist said: “It was a very emotive debate. His followers are totally besotted. Most of them are women and may of them are in love with him. They are genuinely convinced that he could not do anything wrong.”

The federation is still planning to hold next year’s convention week in Sala, 20 miles from Västerås. It is expected to attract spiritualists from 15 countries. Victims’ groups say that Wright is likely to be in an open prison by then and could attend the convention. Kerstibn Zaring, of the crime support group in Karlstad, said: “It is frightening that this might happen. He has lots of power and control over women.”

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