Seven members of Glasgow child abuse ring jailed for ‘harrowing’ attacks
Seven members of Glasgow child abuse ring jailed for ‘harrowing’ attacks
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Three children were abused in crimes between 2012 and 2019. Seven people convicted of being part of a Scottish child abuse ring which plunged to “the depths of human depravity” have been jailed for terms ranging from eight to 20 years. The two women and five men will all be monitored for life after being convicted of gang raping a child and abusing other children in a drugs den in Glasgow where heroin and crack cocaine were used.
Iain Owens, 46; Elaine Lannery, 40; Lesley Williams, 43; Paul Brannan, 42; Scott Forbes, 51; Barry Watson, 48; and John Clark, 48, were convicted in November 2023 following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. Four of the group: Owens, Lannery, Brannan and Williams, were found guilty of attempting to murder a child by pushing her into a microwave and trapping her in other places.
Sentencing was delayed until December while risk assessments were carried out, which judge Lord Beckett had ordered due to the severity of the crimes. The trial, which lasted for about eight weeks, heard evidence of systematic child sex abuse, described as “harrowing” by Lord Beckett who said it “plunges to the depths of human depravity”.
He previously said he was considering whether to impose orders for lifelong restriction, which monitor high-risk offenders for the rest of their lives if they are deemed suitable for release from prison after serving a minimum punishment period. The offences, involving three children, happened between 2012 and 2019.
