The leader of an Israeli cult has been found guilty of rape and multiple sexual crimes.

Goel Ratzon, 64, was accused of having sexual relations with 21 different women – some of whom were teenagers when the relationships started – and fathered 49 children.

After being arrested in 2010, Mr Razon was accused of a number of sexual crimes including rape, sodomy, sex with a minor, assault and fraud. But he was acquitted of a further charge of holding one of his victims captive as a sex slave.

Mr Ratzon’s sentence will be handed down at a later date by the Tel Aviv district court but a lengthy jail sentence is expected.

One of Mr Ratzon’s victims, who had lived with the self-styled guru for 24 years, said he did “terrible things to us…he burned me, no leaving even a little bit”.

Another woman who claimed she had been held against her will by Mr Ratzon for 12 years said the state had “abandoned us” for acquitting him on the slavery charges.

Mr Ratzon has claimed he did nothing wrong, causing outrage after his 2010 arrest by saying: “petting young girls wasn’t rape”.