They said they were under "a spiritual duty" not to disclose confidential religious communications and said that "if such confidence is breached", people might stop confiding in ministers.

Mrs Justice Lieven ruled against the two elders, saying there were "a whole series of reasons" why they should disclose information.

The girl's mother had told Mrs Justice Lieven, in a witness statement: "As a Jehovah's Witness, we are told to report to the elders, any misconduct by a family member.

"This is why my first thoughts were to speak to the elders and seek their guidance and support.

"The elders spoke to me, came into my house and had a meeting with me to clarify what had happened and what (my daughter) had said.

"They spoke to the father to confirm the report to him and advised that he would be removed from the congregation."

She added: "I wanted to go to the police but the message I felt I was receiving was that police involvement was not the appropriate thing to do.

"I fully accept that this was not was being said to me but this is what I was feeling."

She added: "The elders took disciplinary action with the father and advised me to change my work hours to ensure that I was home for the children when the father was home.

"I dropped my hours but I was still going out of the house leaving the father at home with the children.

"I believed that I had put in place protective measures.

"The father had been disciplined and he promised me that he would not do anything again. Our marriage did effectively come to an end at that stage and he remained only as a provider for the family."

Last week, another High Court judge, overseeing a separate case, ordered Jehovah's Witness leaders to pay a rape victim more than £60,000 damages.

The woman was raped by a fellow Jehovah's Witness after going door-to-door evangelising near Cardiff 30 years ago, Mr Justice Chamberlain heard.

A "judicial committee" of elders had in 1991 found the woman's allegations against Mark Sewell "not proven" at an internal inquiry, but he was investigated by police more than 20 years later.

He was convicted in 2014 of raping the woman and indecently assaulting two other people and was given a 14-year prison sentence.

The woman, who is no longer a Jehovah's Witness, said she suffered depression as a result of the rape and sued for compensation.

She said a "proper" internal inquiry had not been conducted and leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses were "vicariously liable" for the rape.