The 77-year-old resident of Amesbury Road, Cholderton, had pleaded not guilty to all charges, but was found guilty on all counts by a jury at Winchester Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday September 9).

The jury had previously retired on Tuesday September 8 to consider evidence from the trial, which had begun on September 1.

Sentencing followed shortly after the verdict was given, when Cull was sentenced to a total of 51 years and eight months by Judge A J Barnett, the Recorder of Salisbury, across all counts. The sentences are to be served concurrently, so that Cull will spend 13 years in prison, as well as a year on extended licence. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

The historic nature of the crimes meant that sentencing took place based on the laws in place at the time. Sentencing guidelines for the rape and sexual assault of a child now carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The court had previously heard his victim’s testimony to police, where she said that he had asked her to choose what she wanted done to her from the pages of a pornographic magazine, “like a catalogue.”

As a four-year-old, he would “stroke” her privates over her underwear, and from the age of eight onwards, he made her “lie across his lap on the sofa without any pants.”

The court heard that he began to assault her using his fingers, “nicking” her on some occasions as he did so, while she was also forced to dress in adult lingerie and touch Mr Cull inappropriately.

The victim said that he acted like a “teacher”, teaching her how to give oral sex and showing her his semen. It is also claimed he would make “sexual phone calls” to the girl while pretending to be a stranger.

The victim described the assaults as like she was “being torn apart” and having “burnt her brain,” and that she “died a thousand deaths to survive it.”

Anonymous sources had previously described Cull as a “longstanding pillar of the community” who had been President and Treasurer at a number of local organisations, as well as being a member of a village playgroup committee.

After the sentence was passed, Cull was taken from the dock to begin his sentence.

But after discussions between prosecutor Stephen Dent and the 61-year-old’s barrister Charley Pattison, the Wiltshire man was rearraigned at Swindon Crown Court yesterday. 

He pleaded not guilty to attempted sexual communication with an child named in court only as “Shannon”. 

He was read 13 other charges relating to the possession of indecent and prohibited images of children or illegal images of animals, answering “on the advice of counsel, guilty” to each charge. 

Appearing before Swindon Crown Court holding his white cane, Boon, of Bratton Road, Westbury, admitted possession of 125 indecent images in category A, the most serious category and which includes depiction of child rape, more than 80 images in category B, 190 in category C, 14 prohibited images of children and 77 extreme pornographic images depicting sex between people and animals.

Judge Peter Crabtree adjourned the case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report and medical evidence. He warned Boon’s lawyer that the starting point was a year’s imprisonment.

He will be sentenced on March 22.

The judge said his pleas would result in him being subject to sex offender notification requirements, meaning Boon must tell police of any changes to his address.

Swindon Crown Court heard the girl, now 19, had been bullied at school and had asked to be put in touch with her birth father after her foster dad left her adopted home.

Cole, who now had other children by his wife of 17 years, was keen to meet his estranged daughter.

The pair hit it off, but the relationship quickly became darker.

Prosecutor Rob Welling said Henley’s foster mum had contacted police after the teen asked if it was illegal to have sex with a family member.

A constable spoke to the pair at Cole’s home in Chippenham, warning them that incest was a crime. Cole’s wife also sensed her husband and his daughter were getting too close and warned him off.

The dad and daughter attempted to have sex for the first time on December 20, 2019 – Henley’s 19th birthday.

Their illicit liaisons were captured on CCTV at his house.

Texts between them revealed the dad saying he would leave his wife, even sending the girl a picture of an engagement ring in an apparent promise of his intentions towards Henley.

Mr Welling said the girl was vulnerable. She suffered from depression, had been passed from family to family as a child, was significantly overweight and had been bullied at school.

“She was in many ways at the beginning of that relationship, if I can put it in those terms, vulnerable. The starting, default point for any father – even if there was a sense she was actually encouraging him – should have been discouragement on his part,” he said.

Cole, formerly of Hill Rise, Chippenham, and Henley, of Hilperton, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with an adult relative.

Jailing the dad for 18 months, Judge Jason Taylor QC acknowledged that he had been charged alongside his daughter. But he said: “I make it plain at the outset that while you will both stand in the dock albeit at different times your positions are not equal.

“She was vulnerable and you preyed on those vulnerabilities when as the adult you should have protected her not least from herself. That makes your offending far more serious.”

The judge added: “I have little hesitation in concluding that she has been and will continue to be psychologically damaged by these events, even if she can’t fully process it herself right now. These consequences will be long lasting, perhaps lifelong lasting and they will make the indignity of being tested for pregnancy and sexually-transmitted infections pale into insignificance.”

Henley received a 12-month community order with 60 hours of unpaid work and 24 rehabilitation activity days.