Glasgow child sex abuse gang given life sentence

Seven members of one of Scotland’s biggest child sex abuse rings have been given life sentences, meaning they may never be released.

Three victims under the age of 13 were subjected to horrific sexual abuse and violence in a Glasgow drug den dubbed “the Beastie House” over a seven-year period.

Police said the children had suffered “unimaginable abuse”, with crimes including rape, murder and attempted assault.

Ian Owens, 46; Elaine Lannery, 40; Leslie Williams, 43; Paul Brannon, 42; Scott Forbes, 51; Barry Watson, 48, and John Clark, 49, were all jailed for their parts in the abuse and handed lifetime banning orders.

He had denied the charges, but was found guilty in November 2023 after a two-month trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The sentencing has been delayed until now because of delays in risk assessments, which were ordered to help the judge, Lord Beckett, decide whether to impose lifetime ban orders.

Warning: This article contains details that may disturb readers.

Two girls and a boy were violently and sexually assaulted on several occasions between 2012 and 2019.

The trial heard that the gang would hold “rape nights” and “dance and sex nights” in a squalid flat in Glasgow which was frequented by drug users.

One girl was raped by gang members while she was still young enough to wear a loincloth.

She described the flat as a “dark and scary beastie house” because she was locked in a cupboard with a box that was full of spiders.

The girl was also locked in an oven and a fridge and was forced to eat dog food.

An older boy and girl were also subjected to brutal beatings and sexual violence.

The gang members also used Class A drugs in front of the children and forced them to consume alcohol and drugs.

The trial heard that the children first came into contact with social work in Glasgow in August 2017 and were considered at risk in July 2018.

But allegations of violence and sexual abuse did not come until March 2020.

Police were alerted by a person who had discovered the children. One of the victims became hysterical when she mistakenly thought she was locked in a room.

The man and his wife then detailed what the children remembered at the hands of the gang.

Jurors were also called Owens, Lannery, Williams, Watson, Clark and Forbes – known as Scott the Cameraman – all had previous convictions, but none for any type of sexual crime. .

Owens, Lannery, Brannan, and Williams were found guilty of attempted murder.

The charges related to the children participating in the trial were dropped during the trial.

Another woman, 40-year-old Marianne Gallagher, was convicted of one count of assault occasioning injury, but all other charges were cleared.

Her sentence was initially postponed for 12 months for good behavior and she returned to court on January 6 this year. Last year, after Gallagher did not offend, he was called for further punishment and by Lord Beckett.

Leading Casey Tommy Ross said lifetime banning (OLRS) orders were reserved for the most serious court cases not involving murder.

Before an order is placed the subject must undergo a comprehensive risk assessment process conducted by psychologists, which usually takes around 12 weeks.

A judge then sets a minimum prison term – known as the sentence portion – that the offender must serve before he or she is eligible to apply for parole.

And, if granted parole, they are subject to being returned to prison in the event that they commit a new crime or breach the conditions of their release.

Mr Ross told BBC Scotland News: “Essentially when you get an order for a lifetime ban, you will either be in prison or on parole for the rest of your natural life.”

A total of 18 OLRs were imposed in courts across Scotland in 2023/24

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice is available through bbc action line,

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published soon. Please refresh the page for the full version.

You can get breaking news on a smartphone or tablet bbc news appYou can also follow e On @bbcbreaking x To get the latest alerts.