My mother lied to protect friends, says sex victim as trial collapses

Dana Fowley, 29, hit out at her mother, Caroline Dunsmore, as prosecutors said they were investigating to see whether the 46-year-old had committed perjury.

Neil Kendall and Ian Davidson were yesterday acquitted at the High Court in Dunfermline of raping and abusing Ms Fowley when she was aged ten.

Dunsmore, 46, had last week told the court she had sat watching television while her daughter was gang-raped in a Perthshire caravan site. However, earlier this week, under cross-examination, she said she was "mistaken". Dunsmore has already been found guilty of abusing her daughter.

Ms Fowley, speaking at a press conference after the collapse of the trial, said: "Caroline Dunsmore has abused me, along with a string of paedophiles, since the age of five, and even though she is doing a 12-year jail sentence, she still, as the ringleader, protected her crew of friends by lying in court.

"She should be given Myra Hindley's cell in a secure unit."

She added: "The justice system has failed Britain's children, so from today I will fight every day of my life until the streets are clear of paedophiles."

Earlier, Ms Fowley, who has waived her right to anonymity, had shouted at her alleged tormentors from the public gallery: "There's nae justice in this court."

Her partner, Paul Kernachan, an anti-paedophile campaigner, shouted at Kendall and Davidson: "You have been found guilty of crimes against humanity, and your punishment will be carried out swiftly."

Dunsmore said on Monday that she had made up a series of events involving her daughter "probably because she was scared of Paul Kernachan".

When the jury took their places yesterday, advocate depute Joanna Cherry, QC, told judge Lady Stacey: "As a result of the change in the evidence of the witness Caroline Dunsmore, who was an essential Crown witness, the Crown have carefully reviewed the case and are of the view that there is insufficient credible and reliable evidence to continue with this prosecution.

"The complainer has been fully informed of this decision and the reasons for it," she said.

"The procurator-fiscal has been instructed to carry out investigations into the evidence of the witness Caroline Dunsmore."

Ms Cherry added: "If your ladyship is minded to consider contempt of court proceedings on the grounds of prevarication by the witness, you may wish to consider the continuation of that whilst the procurator-fiscal investigates the possibility of perjury."

Kendall and Davidson were escorted from the dock to the cells beneath the court, and were shown out of the building by police by a back route, away from the public and press.

Kendall, 44, of Edinburgh, denied raping Ms Fowley while acting with others at Abernethy Caravan Park, Perthshire, from 30 April, 1990, to 27 June, 1990.

Davidson, 54, also of Edinburgh, denied two charges of rape and two of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards the girl by having sex with Dunsmore in front of her, and forcing her to perform a sex act on him.

His offences were alleged to have taken place between February 1987 and June 1994 in the capital.

Ms Fowley has written a book about her abuse. Its publication was put off last year when it emerged Kendall and Davidson would stand trial.

Legal insiders yesterday said it was now unlikely to come out until after any further action against Dunsmore.

Two other men have already been jailed for sexually abusing Ms Fowley.