Sex abuse has turned our lives upside down, boy's parents tell trial

Published on Thursday 26 March 2009 21:07

A COUPLE told a court yesterday their world was turned upside down when police said a close and trusted friend had betrayed them by sexually abusing their son.

The mother said she never had any qualms about letting James Rennie, 38, babysit and initially refused to believe the allegations, but photographs were shown to her.

"Then it gradually became a reality ... something you do not expect ever to happen to you, something you see on television but does not happen to people like us," she added.

Her husband said: "He was someone I believed to be a friend, I believed to be trustworthy and responsible. It has been the pivotal thing of my lifetime."

The High Court in Edinburgh also heard how a "headless" man seen in a photograph sexually assaulting a different toddler could have been identified by his distinctive thumbnail. A world-renowned expert in human anatomy said she analysed the photograph and found the white crescent at the base of the abuser's nail was distorted.

The crescent on the nail of Neil Strachan, 41, was similarly misshapen, Professor Susan Black told the High Court in Edinburgh.

Prof Black said it was not possible to state categorically that Strachan and the man in the image were the same person, but there was "strong evidence" to support a link.

Rennie, of Marionville Road, Edinburgh, and Strachan, of Duff Street, Edinburgh, are on trial with six other men on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography. They also face separate charges of sexually assaulting boys.

The parents of the child in Rennie's charges, who was allegedly abused from the age of three months, said they had known Rennie from their student days. He was gay and had a partner, but his sexuality was never a problem for them. He was delighted when their son was born in 2003, and keen to help out by babysitting.

In December 2007, police informed the parents that Rennie had been arrested for possessing indecent images of children. Officers led them to believe that some of the photographs might have been of their son.

"I suppose, initially, we did not really believe it ... we thought it was a joke. We were shown photographs and video clips," said the woman.

She added: "It is fair to say it has turned our lives upside down. To try to cope with the last year, to care for our son in a normal way, has been very challenging. To try to continue our lives and sustain our relationship and relationships at work and with friends, has been very, very difficult."

The father said: "Once I had seen the images, any kind of possible doubt that might have been in my mind was gone. It was quite clear my son had been abused. There was no question about it," said the father.

The trial continues.