Margaret “Big Mags” Haney dies after cancer battle

Infamous crime matriarch, Margaret “Big Mags” Haney has died after losing her battle with cancer.

Big Mags Haney, pictured in the late nineties, has died. Picture: Robert Perry

Haney, 70, passed away at the Forth Valley Royal hospital in Larbert in the early hours of this morning.

Haney hit the headlines in the 1990s as she led an anti-paedophile campaign in the Raploch estate in Stirling, but afterwards the extent of her drugs empire was also uncovered.

The Haneys were dubbed as the “family from hell” in the media following comments made about them in court by a Stirling sheriff.

Haney was jailed for 12 years in 2003 after being convicted of being the controller of a large-scale heroin dealing operation based in council flats in Stirling.

During her trial, the High Court in Edinburgh was told she was making up to £1,000 a day from the operation in addition to getting paid £1,200 a month in state benefits.

Her daughter Diane was sentenced to nine years, niece Roseann to seven years and son Hugh to five years for their involvement.

Haney was released from prison in 2009, and had been living in Alva, Clackmannanshire.

She had previously survived after being diagnosed with cervical cancer while serving as a prisoner at HMP Cornton Vale, but was later diagnosed with lung cancer.

A spokeswoman for NHS Forth Valley confirmed that Haney had died early this morning.