Retired vicar who admitted role in ‘Eunuch Maker’ extreme body modification ring jailed
A retired Church of England vicar has been jailed after admitting to carrying out an extreme body modification as part of a secret ring run by a man known as the Eunuch Maker.
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Warning: this article contains graphic descriptions of extreme body modifications and mutilation.
Geoffrey Baulcomb, 79, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent after the incident involving a man in January 2020.
He has been jailed for three years after admitting to the crime, which comes after police found a nine-second video showing him using nail scissors to perform a procedure on a man’s penis in 2020 on Baulcomb's phone.
The former clergyman, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, appeared at the Old Bailey on Monday, after admitting to carrying out the procedure in June of this year.
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He previously admitted seven further offences relating to indecent images of children and extreme pornography, including distributing an indecent video of a 16-year-old being harmed by Gustavson, to co-defendant David Carruthers.
The court heard Baulcomb was a long-time associate of Norwegian national Marius Gustavson, who styled himself the "Eunuch Maker" and was jailed for life last year after an investigation known as Operation Viktor.
Gustavson was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years, after the court heard he made almost £300,000 through his website. The site hosted graphic videos of procedures, including castrations, which users paid to watch.
Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC said Baulcomb had been a subscriber to Gustavson's website and exchanged thousands of messages with him between 2015 and 2022.
Police also uncovered evidence linking him to other defendants and victims in the case.
During a search of his Eastbourne home in December 2022, officers seized surgical tools, medical supplies, drugs and a Burdizzo clamp.
Baulcomb submerged his iPhone in a toilet during the raid, but it was recovered and the download revealed material across two indictments.
Matthew Gowen, mitigating, said Baulcomb had been a respected figure in his community and within the church, where he carried out pastoral work with vulnerable people.
He told the court: "A number of people have known Mr Baulcomb for a considerable period of time.
"Those that have known him within the church environment know of the good work, the exemplary work he has done, not just as a vicar but also in the wider community."
Mr Gowen said the majority of Baulcomb's contact with the victim was online and "it is clear he regarded Mr Gustavson as a fantasist".
He added: "It is abundantly clear and obviously relevant that [the victim] was not simply consenting to the procedure.
"There are many messages showing he was very much the instigator of what happened.
"He described it as a fun and very enjoyable night."
Mr Gowen stressed that the procedure had involved only "two small cuts", not the removal of body parts, and that Baulcomb had previously carried out the same on himself without adverse effects.
He said drugs consumed that night were brought by the victim, adding: "It is not a case where the victim was plied with them nor were they forced on him."
The barrister told the court: "Any custodial sentence is going to be very challenging for him, not just by virtue of his age but particularly given the practical considerations of that.
"He is clearly the main actor in his downfall but these offences have eroded his reputation in his church and his family.
"That is a consequence of his actions but it is something he has struggled with and continues to struggle with."
Sentencing him, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said the case fell into the most serious category given the nature of the procedure, the planning involved, and the fact that it had been filmed.
He said: "There are some aspects of the offending here that might suggest it is in the highest category.
"With any extreme body modification feature there has to be some planning. In my judgment this is a category A case.
"The procedure and resulting injury is something that is serious.
"It is an aggravating feature that the procedure was filmed, bearing in mind the obvious sexual nature of this offence.
The judge said Baulcomb had no previous convictions, but told him: "When interviewed you sought to distance yourself from what was done and downplay the significance of your offending.
"You sought to minimise the potential for harm of what you were doing.
"As I observed over the course of this hearing, the extreme pornographic images here are concerning."
Baulcomb was sentenced to two years and six months for the GBH offence, with a further six months for the indecent images offences, making a total of three years.
The former vicar, wearing a black suit and tie, showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down.