A SPIRITUALIST who conned bereaved women into stripping and performing sex acts on themselves "took the most gross advantage" of their situation, a judge said.

Karl Lang, 49, was today found guilty of 12 counts of causing two women to engage in sexual activity without consent between November 2005 and September 2009.

Judge Patrick Curran told Lang, of Winchester Close, Newport, that he faces jail when he is sentenced next month.

Lang shook his head in the dock as the foreman read out the verdicts.

Judge Curran said: "This is systematic conduct in breach of trust involving two very vulnerable young women, they were bereaved and sought the defendant's assistance to communicate with these people who died and he took the most gross advantage of that situation."

The jury is Lang's trial at Newport Crown Court heard he devised a "spirit scale" with training exercises which involved women taking their clothes off to enhance their psychic powers.

Prosecutor Matthew Roberts told the court Lang would say the women had to act more and more outrageously in order to please the spirits and progress on the spirit scale.

One victim lost her father ten years ago and she wanted to be trained as a medium to reach her dad and help other grieving people.

Lang warned the woman not to tell anyone about her training because he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and nothing could happen to him.

His other victim had lost her grandfather and, giving evidence, said: "He manipulated me, preyed on my weaknesses."

She told the court she visited Lang weekly for three months after being impressed with a show she’d seen and wanted to contact her grandfather.

She said she stopped seeing Lang after he told her that to progress further on the scale, he’d have to touch her with his mouth.

Mr Roberts branded Lang a "sexual fraudster" who conned the women.

Lang was released on bail and will be sentenced on a date in July, which is yet to be fixed.

• Speaking after the case, an officer in the case, DC Kay Gladwin said: "I am hopeful that this verdict serves as a warning to any others who seek to take advantage of members of the public when they are most vulnerable. These victims turned to this man for comfort and instead they were abused.

“They were brave in coming forward and giving evidence during the trial and we are hopeful that this verdict brings some closure for them."