Vilest of the vile

Published on Thursday 7 May 2009 22:07

PARENTS last night spoke of their "indescribable anguish" after men who posed as friends were convicted of sexually abusing their children and distributing horrifying images of the acts to other paedophiles.

In total, eight men were found guilty of child pornography and abuse charges, including the sexual assault of a three-month-old baby, as part of Scotland's biggest child pornography ring.

Two of the men – convicted sex offender Neil Strachan and gay rights campaigner James Rennie – were convicted of sex attacks on children.

Strachan, 41, and Rennie, 39, both from Edinburgh, were also found guilty of conspiring to abuse youngsters, as were three other members of the gang.

All of the accused in the nine-week trial at the High Court in Edinburgh were convicted of a series of child porn offences. They will be sentenced at a later date.

After the case, police revealed how a sprawling network of paedophiles across the UK and abroad had been uncovered during the investigation. About 200 people were found to be linked to the network, which distributed sickening child pornography. Seventy of those, in the UK, US and the Netherlands, had been identified and about half arrested. Nearly 125,000 indecent images had been seized.

Last night the parents of three young children who were subject to sickening physical abuse told of the devastation the crimes had wreaked on their families.

The parents of "Child F", a five-year-old boy who had been secretly preyed on by Rennie, a family friend, said the prominent and respected youth work leader had for years appeared to be giving friendship and support.

"To subsequently learn that he abused our son, and invited others to do the same, has been devastating. As a family we have had to learn to live, and cope with, the effect these horrific events have had," they said.

The mother of another victim, known as "Child J", said she felt "indescribable anguish" towards Strachan, who had distributed an image of himself abusing her son, aged 18 months, while he was babysitting him over Hogmanay. Strachan, who is HIV positive, was already a convicted child molester who was on the sex offenders' register when he committed the abuse in 2005.

The revelation forced Lothian and Borders Police last night to defend supervision carried out by them, and other authorities.

Following yesterday's verdicts, Detective Superintendent Allan Jones said that an internal review found Strachan had been "appropriately monitored".

"When you encounter duplicitous, determined characters such as Strachan is, it is very difficult to ensure these instances aren't going to happen. He did present himself as an individual who was rehabilitated but, clearly, he wasn't."

The Central Scotland-based paedophile ring, five members of which were convicted of conspiring to commit sexual offences against children, was uncovered following a police investigation triggered in late 2007 when a computer linked to Strachan was found to contain an indecent image of a child.

An 18-month inquiry, known as Operation Algebra, was carried out by Lothian and Borders Police. It identified up to 70 contacts of the group throughout the UK and abroad. Investigations are continuing by local forces, and around 35 arrests have been made.

One man, Lachlan Anderson, 51, of Cumbernauld, is already serving a 20-month prison sentence for possessing and supplying indecent images of children. Another, Matthew Grasso, of Massachusetts, was jailed for four years in the US for "the prolific distribution" of child pornography.

Mr Jones said the case was "one of the biggest and most challenging ever investigated by the force and represented the largest paedophile network dismantled in Scotland".

He continued: "As the investigation unfolded, it revealed a web of people who had a common interest in child sexual abuse. They made initial contact via the internet and used it to share vile imagery and discuss the abuse of children."

He said Lothian and Borders Police had had "tremendous support" from law enforcement agencies throughout the UK and abroad, including the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI.

Mr Jones added: "Our thoughts go out to the victims and their families who have gone through untold trauma as a result of these despicable acts.

"It is every parent's nightmare that their children have been abused and they knew nothing about it. Due to their young age, these children were not able to communicate what was happening to them."

Strachan could get a life sentence after the jury returned a series of guilty verdicts on him.

And Rennie is also facing a lifelong restriction order which would keep him in jail until it was deemed safe to release him.

He was the chief executive of LGBT Youth Scotland, a group which supports and counsels young people with sexuality difficulties, when he abused a boy from the age of three months.

He was a friend of the child's parents and had been trusted to babysit. He also offered access to the boy to other paedophiles, an offer taken up by Strachan.

Three other men were convicted with Strachan and Rennie, of conspiring to commit sexual offences against children. They were: Craig Boath, 24, of Dundee; John Milligan, 40, of Glasgow; and Ross Webber, 27, of North Berwick, East Lothian.

A sixth man, Neil Campbell, 46, of Glasgow, was acquitted of conspiracy by a not proven verdict, but found guilty with the others, and John Murphy, 44, from Glasgow, of downloading and distributing child pornography.

Colin Slaven, 23, of Edinburgh, was convicted of possessing indecent images with a view to distributing them.

After two days of deliberating, the jury returned guilty verdicts on 43 of 44 charges, the only acquittal being Campbell on the conspiracy charge. The eight will be sentenced later.

The judge, Lord Bannatyne, told the jurors the evidence they had heard and seen was "truly horrific" and said counselling was available if wanted.

Three children were identified as victims of indecency in the case.

Child F was abused from the age of three months by Rennie, who knew his parents and was trusted to babysit.

Rennie took photographs and videos of his abuse of Child F, and passed them on to others. On one occasion, Milligan listened on the phone to Rennie's indecent behaviour towards the boy, and spoke to the youngster as it was happening.

The other two boys, J and B, fell prey to Strachan, who had also been allowed to babysit by their parents. A photograph of Strachan committing a gross act on J, aged 18 months, became known as "the Hogmanay image" and was one of the most harrowing shown to the jury.

Strachan had been jailed for three years in 1997 for numerous acts of indecency against a boy.

Last night, LGBT Youth Scotland, which supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people, said: "We are appalled by the abuse and exploitation of children by James Rennie, and wholeheartedly welcome his conviction.

"Lothian and Borders Police have been clear that their investigations concerned Rennie personally and not LGBT Youth Scotland as an organisation. On being notified of his arrest, we acted immediately to suspend him.

"During a subsequent disciplinary process, he tendered his resignation, which we accepted.

"We had no suspicion whatsoever of the crimes he was committing. He was obviously skilled at hiding his actions and adept at deceiving people. That there is no suggestion that Rennie directly threatened the safety of young people accessing our services is due to the culture of child protection within the organisation.

"It is with a particular sense of betrayal of our purpose and values that we learned of the crimes committed by Rennie."

Statement on behalf of family of Child F

IN December 2007 our lives were turned upside down when we were visited by DI Hood, who informed us of the suspected abuse of our son, and the arrest of James Rennie.

For over 15 years James Rennie seemed the closest of family friends, and it is hard to put into words the extent of the betrayal he has exacted upon us.

To subsequently learn that he abused our son, and invited others to do the same, has been devastating. As a family we have had to learn to live, and cope with, the effect these horrific events have had.

To those individuals who have not yet been caught, but who are involved in the exploitation and abuse of children: consider this case carefully. Think about what will happen to these men, and the effects on the children and families involved.

To those who consider themselves voyeurs – who think that these children are not real, that they are faceless and with no background: be assured that every child involved in every image has a name, parents, friends, and a background of which you know nothing, and a life ahead of them which you are complicit in destroying.

Voyeurs of child pornography are paedophiles, and contribute directly to the abuse of children – claiming that you would never actually harm a child is delusional.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have supported us throughout this time. Our family and friends have lived this experience with us, and without their undying support at home and work we would not have been able to cope.

Retribution for us as parents comes in the form of the justice that has been served.

As yet, how this will affect our son's relationships with peers and other adults as he grows older is unknown. As such, this is not the end for us, but the start of the process to rebuild our lives.

Statement on behalf of mother of Child JL

THE anguish I feel towards Mr Strachan is indescribable. I will never be able to forgive him for the sick acts that he committed against my son. I feel that no matter what punishment is given to Mr Strachan it will never be able to compensate for the hurt, devastation and great deal of stress brought to me and my family.

Mr Strachan used and abused our trust in order to satisfy his and others' sick needs. I hope and pray that my son will be able to live and lead a normal happy childhood in the forthcoming years as every parent would wish and desire for their children.

Our family is now trying to put this behind us and hopefully regain some normality back into our lives.

My thoughts and sympathy go to the other victim and his parents.

I would like to thank the police officers who were involved in the investigation for their hard work, time, effort and determination.