Child rape gang plunged to depths of human depravity, says judge

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Child ***** gang plunged to depths of human depravity, says judge

A “depraved” child sex abuse ring is one of the “worst examples of human behaviour”, a judge has said.

The seven people convicted of a string of ***** and abuse charges were warned they may never be freed, Glasgow’s High Court heard on Monday.

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 ******** were used.

They were jailed for a minimum of between eight and 20 years and will either be in prison or on parole for the rest of their lives.

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.

‘Children showed formidable strength’

Sentencing, Lord Beckett said: “This court is used to hearing the worst examples of human behaviour but such depravity towards young children is beyond my experience.

“This is not typical behaviour and such extreme abuse of children seems to be rare. In contrast to the awful abuse, we heard the best of humane qualities.

“The children showed formidable strength and stamina over the months and years with the eldest showing resilience in recounting her evidence to the court. Their example of courage and perseverance in the face of threats from Iain Owens allowed justice to be done.

“It is possible to imagine from their desperate darkness, their carers have brought some light to their young lives – a home, a structure and nurture over a number of years. What the community should understand is that you may never be released.”

Four of the group – Owens, Lannery, Brannan and Williams – were found guilty of attempting to ******* a child by pushing her into a microwave and trapping her in other places.

Lesley Williams and Paul Brannan were found guilty of attempting to ******* a child by pushing her into a microwave – Spindrift Photo Agency

Three children in particular were subjected to relentless *****, violence and drug-taking at a dirty flat, known as the “beastie house”. This included the sex attack of one girl who was pinned down as some cheered and hollered.

An allegation that the accused used a Ouija board to “call on spirits and demons” causing the child victims to “believe that they could see, hear and communicate with spirits and demons” and making them take part in “witchcraft”, was dropped by prosecutors during the trial.

But the trial, which lasted for about eight weeks, heard evidence of systematic child sex abuse, described as “harrowing” by Lord Beckett, the judge, who said it “plunges to the depths of human depravity”.

Sentencing had been repeatedly adjourned since then as Lord Beckett considered whether to impose a form of life sentence known as an order for lifelong restriction (OLR).

An OLR was imposed on each along with a “punishment part” jail-term which is the minimum they must serve before they could even be considered for parole. However, it is possible all or some of them may never be released.

‘Gross breach of trust’

The judge stated to Owens and Lannery that they had committed a “gross breach of trust”. Lord Beckett told Forbes and Clark that he did not believe that they had been “swept along by others” in committing the offences, which occurred between April 2012 and June 2019.

Owens was jailed for at least 20 years after being found guilty of 18 charges including the ***** of the three children as well as the attempted ******* of one involving shutting her in a microwave and other kitchen appliances. He was also convicted of other sex offences and class A drug supply.

The court heard that Owens forced two of the children to ingest heroin and ********, and Lord Beckett said the offences were “humiliating, degrading ******* crimes against incredibly vulnerable children”.

Owens sarcastically applauded the judge after the sentencing was passed and he was escorted forcefully to the cells.

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Elaine Lannery was sentenced to a minimum 17 years after being found guilty of the ***** of the children – Spindrift Photo Agency

Lannery was sentenced to a minimum 17 years after being found guilty of the ***** of the children. Williams was jailed for 14 years for five charges including the ***** of two girls.

Brannan was imprisoned for at least 15 years after being convicted of attempted *******, ******* assault, ***** and supplying class A drugs.

Forbes, who was said to have filmed parts of the abuse, will serve a minimum eight years after he was found to have ****** one girl.

Watson and Clark were both convicted raping two of the youngsters. Watson ranted to the judge as he was jailed for at least nine years and six months, while Clark wore a T-shirt with “innocent” scrawled on the back as he was sentenced to 10 years

Gary Allan KC, defending Owens, told the sentencing: “You will be aware in his own evidence, he denied these events took place and that denial has been maintained in the process of an assessment.”

Gordon Jackson KC, defending Lannery, said: “It is my understanding that the main allegations have been denied.”

Keith Stewart KC, defending Williams, stated her client “disputes” the finding by the jury and will submit an appeal. Jim Wallace, defending Forbes, stated his client believed he was “innocent of any crime.”

Tony Graham KC, defending Watson, told the sentencing that the matters were “crimes of gravity.” Iain McSporran KC, defending Clark, stated his client denied the offences.

Co-accused Marianne Gallagher, 40, was found guilty of assaulting a child and was “admonished” when she appeared for sentencing on Jan 6.

Gallagher was told she would be in “pretty severe trouble” if she committed further offences, when she was spared punishment by Lord Beckett.

Colin Anderson, independent chairman of Glasgow’s child protection committee, said: “I have already initiated the process of undertaking a Case Learning Review.

“This is being led by an independent reviewer to ensure strong governance and oversight. It would be inappropriate to comment further until the Case Learning Review is complete.”

Det Insp Lesley-Ann McGee, of Police Scotland, said: “I hope today’s outcome can help the young victims in moving forward.

“This was a long, complex and challenging investigation for a team of officers and staff who had to work through the most harrowing evidence to bring those responsible for these despicable crimes to justice.”

Katrina Parkes, Scotland’s procurator fiscal for High Court ******* offences, said: “I commend the bravery of the young victims; their strength has resulted in the conviction and sentence of their abusers for these heinous crimes.”  

She added: “Prosecuting this case has been complex and a challenging task for our experienced prosecutors. Consideration of the trauma these children suffered was utmost while working to secure these convictions.”

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