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A sex cult leader who brainwashed and abused children has been jailed and warned he may never be released.
Colin Batley, 48, was found guilty of 35 offences at Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday. Three women, including his estranged wife, were also imprisoned.
He moved from London to the small town of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, where the cult operated in a cul-de-sac.
He was given a public protection sentence with an 11-year minimum recommendation.
‘That means, of course, you may never be released,’ said Judge Paul Thomas QC.
Jacqueline Marling, 42, described as ‘Batley’s right-hand woman’, was jailed for 12 years, while Batley’s wife Elaine, 47, was jailed for eight years.
Shelly Millar, 35, described during the trial as Batley’s ‘sex slave’, was jailed for five years.
Vincent Barden, 70, of Kempston, Bedfordshire, who was not a cult member, was jailed for three years after admitting two counts of sexual assault on an underage girl.
Batley was said in court to have been active as a molester and rapist of children and young people for more than three decades.
Previously, a jury rejected claims by Batley and other defendants during the trial that no cult existed.
The cult, who all lived in the same cul-de-sac, took part in a catalogue of abuse against children and young adults.
Victims said the group used occult writings and practices to ‘brainwash’ them, and justify their abuse.
Batley used his position as the cult leader to rape boys and girls, the court was told. BBC online article 11 March 2011, ‘Kidwelly sex cult leader Colin Batley may never be free’
Sex Cult Leader Caged: The evil ruler of a sex cult he was told yesterday he might never leave prison.
Colin Batley created ‘a sick little kingdom’ to have sex with women and children in the village of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire. The Sun article March 2011
A former security guard who led a cult from a cul-de-sac in a Welsh seaside town was told he might spend life in jail for committing a series of sex attacks on boys and girls.
Colin Batley of Kidwelly, west Wales, presided over a quasi-religious sex cult that preyed on vulnerable youngsters, forced women into prostitution and indulged in occult rites.
Batley was given an indeterminate sentence for public protection with a recommendation that he spend at least 11 years in jail. Sentencing him at Swansea crown court, Judge Paul Thomas QC told him: ‘You may never be released.’ The Guardian online article Steven Morris 11th March 2011, ‘Colin Batley, leader of sex cult preying on children, could spend life in jail’