Gang of sex predators targets vulnerable women

Officials in Edinburgh are currently trying to protect teenagers with learning difficulties and mental health conditions from a group of men who have been swapping the phone numbers of girls they regard as easy prey. The gang is made up of about a dozen men and is known to meet regularly in a prominent location in the capital.

Social work and police chiefs know who many of the predators are but have been unable to take legal action against them.

Sources at Lothian and Borders Police said the men were exploiting a grey area in the law, by targeting teenagers who lack the confidence, social skills or understanding to say no to them.

An official spokesman for City of Edinburgh Council said: "This is an example of the complex issues social workers have to deal with on a day-to- day basis. In cases such as these, it's important that all agencies work together."

Scotland on Sunday can reveal that social workers in Glasgow have also had concerns over a group of men who operate in the same way.