**Ex-Priest Admits Using Scissors for Unauthorised ‘Surgical’ Procedure, Faces Prison Sentence**
A former Anglican priest has confessed to causing grievous bodily harm after carrying out a so-called surgical procedure with scissors, the Old Bailey heard on Friday. Geoffrey Baulcomb, 79, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, admitted the offence, which involved the unauthorised enlargement of a man’s urethral opening in January 2020.
The incident came to light after a brief video, just nine seconds in duration, captured Baulcomb undertaking the act. The footage subsequently became a key piece of evidence in the police investigation. The authorities arrested Baulcomb in December 2022 after his actions became evident to law enforcement.
Having entered the clergy in 1970, Baulcomb previously served in Chichester, West Sussex, according to records from the Church of England. Despite his long-standing role in religious life, his more recent conduct has shocked communities familiar with his clerical background.
During the Old Bailey hearing, Baulcomb wore a sombre dark suit paired with a blue tie. He spoke only to confirm his identity and formally submit his guilty plea to a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. This charge reflects the gravity of performing medical procedures without the appropriate qualifications or oversight.
Troublingly, Friday’s hearing was not Baulcomb’s first admission of unlawful behaviour. In March 2020, he pleaded guilty to distributing an indecent image of a child, and by the end of 2022, he had admitted three further counts of creating indecent images of children. The court also heard that the defendant possessed 195 extreme pornographic images.
Judge Nigel Lickley KC, presiding over the case, acknowledged that while Baulcomb did not represent a flight risk, as assessed by police, the nature of his offences was gravely serious. The judge imposed strict bail conditions, including a prohibition on attending Church of England premises or events and a ban on any contact with children under 18.
Prosecutor Caroline Carberry confirmed that Baulcomb’s compliance with bail had been satisfactory since the investigation began. “This defendant is not deemed a flight risk by the police in this case. He has been on bail for a really long period of time now,” she told the court.
While out on conditional bail, Baulcomb nonetheless faces certain incarceration. Judge Lickley indicated that the “seriousness of the GBH offence means you will receive a custodial sentence of some length.” The sentencing is scheduled to occur at the same court on 1 September.
This case raises broader social questions around accountability and safeguarding within trusted institutions. The revelations of both physical injury and child exploitation linked to someone previously charged with spiritual guidance have sent ripples of concern through communities in Sussex and beyond.
As legal proceedings continue, observers await the sentencing in September, where the full weight of the law is expected to be brought to bear in a case that starkly illustrates the devastating breach of trust that can occur within revered institutions.