Orphanage paedophile set to appeal conviction

Published on Tuesday 30 June 2009 09:43

AN Edinburgh charity worker jailed for 20 years for sexually abusing children in an Albanian orphanage is set to appeal his conviction.

David Brown, 57, will return to court on Wednesday 15 July, eight months after he was found guilty of abuse at the orphanage he set up.

Judge Gerti Hoxha has ordered him to be expelled from Albania once he is released.

He has continued to protest his innocence, and his lawyers will argue he did not have a fair trial.

Brown was arrested two-and-a-half years ago, following a raid on the His Children orphanage in Tirana.

He claimed he had discovered abuse at the home, but strongly denied any involvement. He also claimed he had concealed the abuse because he feared the Albanian authorities would shut the home down.

But he admitted he had allowed two boys into his bed when they complained of nightmares, which he later described as being "naive". The subsequent trial lasted more than a year.

His partner Ruth Callaghan said he had been "absolutely devastated" by the verdict. But she said he had been encouraged by messages of support from friends in Scotland and abroad.

Before travelling to Tirana, Brown worked with children in Scotland for around 20 years.