The Kidwelly sex cult was a cult that operated in the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

town of

Kidwelly Kidwelly ( cy, Cydweli) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. In the 2001 census the community of Kidwelly returned a population of 3,289, inc ...

that raped children for decades until its perpetrators were arrested in 2010. Known by its members as simply "The Church", its leader Colin Batley psychologically terrorised and coerced vulnerable children into performing sexual acts, by using death threats and

brainwashing Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwash ...

. Batley, three female members, and a second man were convicted of child sex offences in 2011 and jailed.

Cult

The cult sexually exploited vulnerable teenagers, using

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

practices and literature as a means of justifying its abuse, and of

its victims. It was led by Colin Batley and his wife, as well as three other women. Its sexual abuse against children spanned several decades, and was carried out first in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, then in

in southwest

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. The five members who went on trial departed from London for a single Kidwelly street in the 1990s. The leader, Colin Batley, moved first, followed by Shelly Millar, Batley's mistress, Jacqueline Marling, and their partners. Batley and three of the four female defendants were convicted of sexual offences. Colin Batley and the four female defendants indicated their membership with an ancient " Egyptian eye" tattoo of

Horus Horus or Heru, Hor, Har in Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as god of kingship and the sky. He was worshipped from at least the late prehistoric Egypt until the P ...

, a hawk-headed god on their arms, and by collecting ancient Egyptian religious objects. The cult targeted troubled, impressionable minors, forcing them to undergo an initiation ceremony that ended with sex with an adult. Children were intimidated into participating with threats of murder. One girl testified that after this ceremony (which started with Batley preaching about the occult and finished with sex), she was regularly coerced into having sex with Colin Batley at his house, and with strangers at satanic

orgies In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party consisting of at least five members where guests freely engage in open and unrestrained sexual activity or group sex. Swingers' parties do not always conform to this designation, because at many swin ...

. In tears, she testified, "I did it because I was told to by Colin". A victim explained, "Colin knew how to manipulate you, to make you believe anything he said". Children also obeyed his demands for sex out of "fear of angering the Gods." Batley had

Rottweiler The Rottweiler (, ) is a breed of domestic dog, regarded as medium-to-large or large. The dogs were known in German as , meaning Rottweil butchers' dogs, because their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered mea ...

dogs that were "vicious to everyone". The sexual abuse was often preceded with satanic ceremonies in which passages from the occultist Aleister Crowley's books '' The Book of the Law'', ''The Book of Magick,'' and ''Equinox of the Gods'' were read out. One ceremony featured an

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

with salted bread, a chalice of red wine, and an incense burner. At the end of these satanic ceremonies, members "became skyclad", meaning they disrobed, and had sex. A neighbour, John Wheatland, claimed that while working in his garden, he once saw a girl in her early teens "done up to look like a film star", who asked him whether he wanted sex. He also stated that he heard a victim crying every night.

''The Book of the Law''

Aleister Crowley, whose literature was a major source of the cult's beliefs, was an English occultist and magician who died in 1947. He wrote '' The Book of the Law'' in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

in 1904. Each member's home seemed to have a laminated version of it. The trial heard this book had "worrying trends and themes" about sex, including the statements "Let all chaste women be despised", "Sex with anyone is not just permissible, but to be encouraged. Prostitution is to be admired", and "Some of the most passionate and permanent attachments have begun with rape. Rome was founded thereon." Judge Paul Thomas QC admonished the book as "a ludicrous document".

Death of Damian Batley

Colin Batley's son Damian died on 1 February 2008, when he accidentally hanged himself during a sex act. He filmed the fatal accident on his mobile phone. An inquest was told he was found naked and hanging. A neighbour said Damian's father was "laughing and joking like he didn’t have a care in the world" on the day of the funeral, which "no normal person could comprehend".

Similarity with other cults

According to the

Cult Information Centre The Cult Information Centre (CIC) is a British anti-cult organisation that provides information and advice to members of what the organisation terms cults, as well as their affected family members, members of the press and scholarly researchers. ...

's general secretary Ian Haworth, the Kidwelly rape cult had the characteristics that are typical of a cult, which he had "heard year after year in the 32 years I've worked full time in this field". He estimated the UK has 500 to 1,000 cults, with these operating "in major cities", as well as "in quiet, rural areas". Haworth added that cult leaders often break people down, sometimes within three or four days, with methods including depriving them of food and sleep. He said this "seems to work best on people with very healthy minds".

Victims

Five victims testified in court that they were lured or brought to cult members' homes where they were sexually abused, and that there were more victims who had not reported any of their abuse. One 15-year-old girl who gave evidence described being shared like a "sex toy" between cult members. A second girl was raped by Batley when she was only 11 years old, and testified, "Sex with him was a test, and if I did not pass, I would go to The Abyss." A third girl also testified to being raped by Batley when she was 11 or 12, and being coerced into having sex on camera when she was 16. Victims said the cult's abuse "has been a nightmare journey for each and every one of us".

Annabelle Forest

Annabelle Forest (a pseudonym), a daughter of cult member Jacqueline Marling, gave testimony which helped convict five abusers. She was forced at the age of seven to watch a sex act by her mother Jacqueline Marling on Colin Batley. When Forest was 11, Colin Batley raped her. In her early teens, she was coerced into group sex with Marling, which became something Forest was regularly forced to participate in. She was also coerced into a relationship with a second older male. Forest said "I was a schoolgirl by day and a sex slave at night", which "got so bad that at one point I tried to take my own life." Three months after giving birth to a child of Batley, aged 18, Forest was forced into prostitution, having sex with an estimated 1,800 men, with her entire earnings being taken by the cult. She said that during her many years of being abused and exploited: "Too many people looked away, too many people ignored the signs. It astonishes me that we lived in that small cul-de-sac for so many years and not one person saw anything that gave them cause for concern". Forest detailed her experiences in her book ''The Devil on the Doorstep: My Escape From a Satanic Sex Cult'', which she wrote to "get others to start really paying attention to the community they live in", because "there are abused children everywhere".

Investigation

In 2010, two adult victims, one male and one female, reported the cult's abuse to the police prompting the group's arrest the same year. Chief Inspector

Richard Lewis Richard, Rich, Richie, Rick, Ricky or Dick Lewis may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Richard Field Lewis Jr. (1907–1957), American radio network owner * Dick "Rocko" Lewis (Richard Henry Lewis III, 1908–1966), American entertainer * Rich ...

said the investigation by Dyfed–Powys Police "was a very protracted and complicated inquiry involving a very secretive group" that perpetrated "systematic and prolonged abuse of children" who "showed great courage" by reporting it. Mark Bergmanski, Detective Chief Inspector, agreed "it was a very complicated and complex inquiry". The safeguarding children's board at

Carmarthenshire County Council Carmarthenshire County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin) is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It provides a range of services including education, planning, transport, social services and public safety. The counc ...

lambasted all perpetrators of "systematic, secretive and prolonged sexual abuse of children".

Sentences

The cult's leader, Colin Batley, three female members, and a second man received prison sentences totaling 36 years, with the possibility of Colin Batley remaining in prison for life. They were found guilty on 47 charges including rape and other sexual crimes against children after a five-week trial in February and March of 2011. A fourth female member was acquitted after facing a single charge of child indecency. The head of the Welsh complex case unit in the Crown Prosecution Service said, "all of those sentenced today are guilty of horrific crimes and therefore it is also right that they have received lengthy sentences." The jury deliberated for four full days, and two half days, and were offered counseling, due to the distressing nature of the offences. The defendants had denied the cult's existence for the entire trial.

References

External links

Colin & Elaine Batley/Vincent Barden – Kidwelly/Shoreditch
– The UK Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Kidwelly Children's rights Child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom Child abuse incidents and cases British people convicted of child sexual abuse Rape in Wales Rape in the 2000s Rape trials Sex crime trials 2000s crimes in the United Kingdom 2011 in England Sex crimes Forced prostitution Human trafficking in the United Kingdom Child sexual abuse in Wales Child sex rings Satanic ritual abuse Kidwelly satanic child rape cult Incidents of violence against girls Cults