DAIRY farmer Gordon Guley has been jailed for two and a half years after admitting sexually assaulting six boys over a 22-year period.

Case officer Det Sgt Dave Martin said 44-year-old Hilperton farmer Guley used his tractor as a method of grooming boys, before sexually molesting them in offences dating back to 1975 when he was only 16-years-old.

All of his victims, aged under 16 at the time of the offences, were picked from groups of children playing in fields near Melksham and Hilperton.

Sentenced for 10 indecent assaults at Swindon Crown Court, Guley collapsed as Judge Thomas Longbotham delivered his verdict.

DS Martin, of Trowbridge CID, said Guley was an opportunist paedophile who took his chances to abuse.

"As a farmer he was bound to have a tractor but to young boys tractors are something of a fascination," he said.

"The victims said he encouraged them to get onto the tractor. We know he has been sexually interested in young boys for an awfully long time.

"Even towards the end of this case he was trying to minimise what he had done. It was totally disrespectful to the victims."

During his 22-year reign of abuse Guley, who runs Whaddon Farm with his wife, was twice confronted by parents about his abusing, but no police charges were brought until two years ago.

In 2001 Guley escaped prison after being convicted of downloading pornographic images of boys onto his computer.

DS Martin began this latest investigation in November following a complaint made to Avon and Somerset police by one of the six victims.

Tracing other victims using old-fashioned police tactics of chasing leads and gathering evidence, DS Martin ended up with six victims all telling the same story.

"He is a typical paedophile in the sense he does not see what he has done is particularly serious as far as the consequences for his victims," he said.

"Even after 25 years one of the victims said he cannot even look at a tractor without remem-bering what happened to him.

"I am very pleased with the sentence.

"There is no such thing as a minor indecent assault on a child."