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 20 years to eight 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.
Owens, Lannery, Brannan, Williams, Forbes, Watson and Clark were found guilty of taking part in the gang rape of a child.
Owens and Lannery were also convicted of multiple counts of assault, sexual assault, rape and causing a child to ingest drugs and alcohol.
Owens and Lannery were jailed for 20 and 17 years respectively.
Brannan was convicted of attempted murder, sexual assault, rape and supplying class A drugs. He was jailed for 15 years.
Williams was convicted of attempted murder, assault, rape and supplying drugs. She was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment.
Forbes was found guilty of rape, while Watson was found guilty of rape and sexual assault, and Clark was found guilty of rape and sexual assault.
Clark was jailed for 10 years, Watson for nine years and six months and Forbes for eight years.
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.
Co-accused Marianne Gallagher, 40, was found guilty of assaulting a child and was “admonished” when she appeared for sentencing on January 6.
Gallagher was told she would be in “pretty severe trouble” if she committed further offences, when she was spared punishment by Lord Beckett.
Commenting, Mary Glasgow, chief executive at Scottish children's charity Children First, said: "No sentence will ever reflect the extreme cruelty and horrifying abuse that three children endured for so long. The depths of their suffering will be unimaginable to most people in Scotland, but none of us should turn away from it.
“This is one of the most extreme cases of abuse ever seen in a Scottish court, but every day children and young people in Scotland are experiencing violence and abuse. Children can’t protect themselves and they need all of us to help them stay safe.
“And, without support to recover, the trauma of childhood abuse can be devastating and last a lifetime.
“If you have concerns about a child, Children First’s support line will listen and help you work through what’s best for the child. It’s free to call on: 08000 28 22 33 or you can speak to our team online at childrenfirst.org.uk.”
