Seven people involved in a Scottish child abuse ring that plumbed “the depths of human depravity” have been jailed for minimum terms ranging from eight to 20 years.
The two women and five men will be monitored for life after being convicted of gang-raping a child and violently abusing two other children in a flat in Glasgow where drugs were taken.
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 after a lengthy and complex trial at Glasgow high court.
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. Two girls and a boy were abused over a seven-year period, between 2012 and 2019, and made to take drugs and alcohol.
In all, the seven defendants were found guilty of 49 charges that included sexual offences, misuse of drugs offences and the common law offence of assault to injury and danger to life.
They were jailed for a total of at least 93 years by the judge, Lord Beckett, and were all given lifelong restriction orders.
Beckett warned they may never be released from prison. “This court is used to hearing the worst examples of human behaviour but such depravity towards young children is beyond my experience,” he told the defendants.
“This is not typical behaviour and such extreme abuse of children seems to be rare.”
The judge also praised the “formidable strength” and the “courage and perseverance” of the children.
“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,” he said.
The trial, which followed a police investigation dubbed Operation Woodwhite, heard evidence of systematic child sexual abuse that Beckett described as harrowing and said “plunges to the depths of human depravity”.
He previously said he was considering 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.
Katrina Parkes, a prosecutor specialising in sexual offence trials in the high court, said the successive convictions were proof that prosecutors took violence against children seriously, and she urged other victims to come forward.
“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 said.
“Every child has the right to be heard and to be listened to and we are committed to ensuring that the needs of children in the justice system are fully recognised and met.”
Owens and Lannery were given minimum jail terms of 20 and 17 years respectively after also being convicted of various counts of assault, sexual assault, rape and causing a child to ingest drugs and alcohol.
Brannan was convicted of attempted murder, sexual assault, rape and supplying class A drugs and jailed for at least 15 years.
Williams was convicted of attempted murder, assault, rape and supplying drugs. She was sentenced to 14 years. Forbes was found guilty of rape, and Watson and Clark of rape and sexual assault.
Clark was jailed for 10 years, Watson for nine years and six months and Forbes for eight years.
Co-accused Marianne Gallagher, 40, was found guilty of assaulting a child and was admonished on 6 January.
In sparing her punishment, Beckett told her she would be in “pretty severe trouble” if she committed further offences.
