By Robert Harries

Copyright walesonline

A serial rapist and paedophile who ran a warped sex cult in a close-knit Welsh community will not be transferred to an open prison after the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) defied a recommendation from the Parole Board, it can be revealed. Colin Batley was jailed in 2011 following a trial at Swansea Crown Court which ended with him being found guilty of three indecent assaults, causing prostitution for personal gain, causing a child to have sex and inciting a child to have sex, and 11 counts of rape. Batley, who was 48 when he was jailed, had run a “black magic sex cult” from a house in Clos yr Onnen in the Carmarthenshire town of Kidwelly. He had moved to the area from London in the 1990s and was the self-appointed ‘high priest’ of the cult. Stay informed on Carms news by signing up to our newsletter here . During his trial he was described as “evil and manipulative” and even smiled and laughed as his convictions were confirmed in court. He was handed an indeterminate prison sentence with a minimum term of 11 years. In March this year Batley appeared before a Parole Board hearing in what was his third bid at being released from prison. He was refused parole due to the “gravity of the offences and the profound harm caused to victims”. However the Parole Board recommended that Batley be moved to an open prison – an environment which, according to the MoJ, has “minimal security” and “allows eligible prisoners to spend most of their day away from the prison on licence to carry out work, education, or for other resettlement purposes”. This recommendation needed to be ratified by the UK’s secretary of state for justice who at the time was Shabana Mahmood who has since taken over the role of Home Secretary. Six months on from the Parole Board’s recommendation it has now been confirmed that Batley’s move to an open prison has been denied. According to the MoJ certain criteria must be met for a prisoner to move to open conditions including evidence that the prisoner has made sufficient progress during the sentence, that they are at low risk of absconding, and that there is a persuasive case for transferring them. A spokesman for the MoJ has confirmed to WalesOnline: “These were horrific crimes and our thoughts remain with the victims. Public protection is our number one priority which is why we have blocked Colin Batley’s transfer to open prison.” In 2021 there were rumours that Batley had been released and was living in Carmarthen , a short distance from where his offending took place in Kidwelly. However the rumours were untrue and the MoJ confirmed that the paedophile was still locked up at Bristol’s HM Prison Ashfield. Despite recommending that Batley be moved to an open prison in March the board’s decision summary did note that, at the time of his offending, Batley had an “obsession with sex” and that he “believed he was entitled to sex as and when he wanted it”. The summary also heard that Batley “held child abuse-supportive beliefs”. Three women were also jailed in 2011 for crimes associated with Batley’s sex cult. Jacqueline Marling, then aged 42, was jailed for 12 years while Batley’s wife Elaine, then aged 47, was jailed for eight years. Shelly Millar, then aged 35, was jailed for five years. Even though a proposed move to open prison conditions for Batley has been blocked having served 14 years behind bars he will be eligible for another parole review “in due course” the Parole Board has confirmed.