Could a head lice infestation have led to the unravelling of a child rape gang that inflicted unspeakable horror?
Warning: This article contains graphic details of abuse
A paedophile ring, a mix of seven Glasgow men and women, operated in plain sight for seven years despite what may appear to be major red flags.
From 2012, a group of children, including some young enough to still be wearing nappies, were subjected to organised “rape nights” by drug users who plied them with alcohol and cocaine.
None of those present tried to help the children, who were all aged under 13. Instead, they clapped, filmed and paid for the abuse to continue.
One boy remembers hearing a “beep” indicating a timer when one rape would end, and another would begin.
This horror unfolded behind the doors of a dirty drug den – a ground-floor flat in a city suburb infested by insects, which was known as the “beastie house”.
The gang even forced the primary school-age children to eat dog food and abuse each other while their molesters crowded round to spectate.
They were shoved in microwaves and a locked fridge and freezer. One girl was hung by her clothes from a nail in the kitchen.
During the trial in 2023, which eventually saw the seven abusers each receive an order for lifelong restriction, judge Lord Beckett said the scandal plunged to the “depths of human depravity”.
The gang comprised Iain Owens, 46; Elaine Lannery, 40; Lesley Williams, 43; Paul Brannan, 42; Scott Forbes, 51; Barry Watson, 48 and John Clark, 48. They are all now in prison for a total of almost 100 years.
There are questions around how this could have happened in the first place.
The children were visited by social workers and even placed on the child protection register in 2018 before police cracked the case in 2020.
How can it be those youngsters, who were being regularly raped as part of an organised ring, could simultaneously sit on a register designed to prevent them from harm?
The High Court jury heard a selection of evidence from people who had concerns.
Police painstakingly worked through almost 1,000 pieces of evidence – so surely there would be someone willing to discuss the warning signs they spotted?
Sky News tracks down concerned witness
But nobody I encountered, from barbers to local shopkeepers, would speak. Until finally, I tracked down a man who had spoken to detectives as part of the investigation.
Speaking publicly for the first time, he revealed he saw the children regularly and recalled an evening where he spotted head lice on one girl and tried to arrange treatment.
“One of their hair was messy with head lice and because she was the same age as my child, I said ‘why won’t you do your hair’,” he said.
“She left them on her head to try and keep those beasts away from her. The head lice protected her from them.”
The man said he had concerns about how malnourished some of the victims were and described noticing the situation going “wrong” in 2018.
“They were always lingering around adults to try and get food. They were scavenging… It was heartbreaking,” he said.
“The system has failed.”
Sky News has learned concerns were raised with charities too. The actions of social workers, police and child protection services are now being investigated as part of an independent review.
These reviews are commonplace across Britain when serious harm or death is inflicted on a child.
Do reviews actually work?
But how effective are they when a commitment of “lessons will be learned” is then undone when the next tragedy comes along?
One former children’s commissioner for Scotland and leading child protection expert told Sky News the entire review process was being re-examined.
Tam Baillie said: “Learning reviews are important. The challenge for them is how effectively we implement the recommendations that come from reviews, as that is the bit that really counts.
“There is no point in doing the review unless it actively effects change in the system.”
Mr Baillie, who has 35 years of experience in child protection, said the public were right to ask questions about this case.
He said: “Currently, the process of learning reviews is being looked at so that we can make improvements to ensure we don’t keep looking at the same lessons coming up time and time again.”
Read more:
Victims were ‘failed’ by the system, Scottish government admits
Six members of paedophile gang to appeal convictions
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The gang branded the children liars
I sat in the courtroom during the trial as the paedophiles, who were on bail at the time, laughed and joked in the dock between breaks.
Their sober performance when the jury was present was very different to their behaviour outside the confines of the High Court in Glasgow.
I have been reporting on criminal proceedings for almost 15 years and their boisterous conduct stands in stark contrast to other people accused of such serious crimes who seem to have more respect for the process.
As the Sky News team filmed their mask-covered faces entering and leaving court, they would yell obscenities and threaten to attack us.
One repeatedly shouted that the children were “liars”. The jury did not believe a word of it and found them guilty.
At the end of another gruelling day of evidence, two of the accused walked out to their waiting taxi and threatened to “batter” me. One of them lunged in our direction.
They were swiftly told to “shut up” and “get in” the car by the lingering police officers.
Days later, a jury convicted them of some of the most heinous crimes this country has ever seen.
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Leading KC calls it quits after this case
One leading KC, Thomas Leonard Ross, who was involved in the trial, has told Sky News this case was a tipping point for him.
After working on 400 High Court cases, he is so traumatised he says he will never work on a sex abuse case again.
“It is the worst example of child abuse I have ever heard. It was awful to sit and listen to,” he said.
“You were left with the impression that these children were known to the social work department. It seemed surprising that steps hadn’t been taken to remove them from the scenario they were in earlier.
“Questions were raised, and I understand why the public are seeking answers to those questions.”
It is unclear when the independent review will report on its findings, but Glasgow City Council has told Sky News it will implement all recommendations in full.
A spokesperson said: “This is a uniquely complicated case involving unusually sensitive issues and a number of individuals, and our focus remains on supporting everyone involved in this process.”
There is a consensus these children were failed. But our investigation raises fresh questions about how Scotland’s largest paedophile gang managed to cause such prolonged pain.
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