A retired Church of England priest from Eastbourne has been jailed for three years after admitting to carrying out an extreme body modification on a man while filming the act.

Geoffrey Baulcomb, 79, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent following the incident in January 2020.

The Old Bailey heard he used scissors during the procedure, which was captured on video.

Baulcomb was linked to Norwegian national Marius Gustavson, who styled himself the “Eunuch Maker” and was jailed for life in 2023 after an investigation known as Operation Viktor.

During a police raid on his Eastbourne home in 2022, officers recovered surgical tools, medical supplies and electronic devices containing incriminating material, as reported by The Argus.

He also admitted seven further offences relating to indecent images of children and extreme pornography.

Baulcomb was ordained in 1970 and served as vicar of St Mary the Virgin Church in Eastbourne before retiring from full-time ministry in 2003.

He later held Permission to Officiate in the Diocese of Chichester until it was withdrawn in 2022, when the Metropolitan Police informed the Church of its investigation.

Mitigating, his barrister Matthew Gowen told the court: “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.”

But sentencing him, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said: “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.”

Baulcomb showed no emotion as he was given a three-year prison term.