Paedophile has jail sentence cut by seven years

A MEMBER of the worst paedophile ring ever uncovered in Scotland has had his minimum sentence almost halved.

Neil Strachan, 43, had been given a life sentence for plotting with other perverts to abuse children - the first time such a conspiracy charge had been used in Scotland to smash a paedophile gang.

He was told he had to wait 16 years before he could bid for freedom.

But, at an earlier hearing, appeal judges ruled that although Strachan and pervert pal James Rennie had swapped e-mails about "sharing" a baby boy, there was not enough evidence to find Strachan guilty of a wider conspiracy.

They also cleared Strachan of forcing the one-year-old boy to perform a sex act while Rennie, 40, was babysitting.

Strachan returned to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh yesterday knowing he would get his minimum sentence cut as a result of the previous decision.

He also stood to gain from a recent ruling by top judges changing the way minimum sentences are calculated for lifers other than murderers.

Lord Bonomy, sitting with Lord Kingarth, told Strachan that his time behind bars, before he could ask the parole board to free him, should be reduced from 16 years to nine years.

Because one of the key charges against Strachan had been "significantly modified" the original sentence could no longer stand and applying the new rules would lead to a further reduction.

Like others serving life, Strachan cannot be certain that the parole board will free him as soon as he has completed the nine year minimum.

After his trial in May 2009, judge Lord Bannatyne described Strachan as "sadistic and aggressive".

As well as the three-year internet conspiracy, Strachan was also convicted of attempting to have sex with an 18-month-old boy while looking after him at Hogmanay 2005 and touching up another six-year-old while he was asleep.

He was also found guilty of downloading child pornography from vile websites - all convictions which survived the scrutiny of the appeal court.

Rennie was also given a life sentence, with a minimum of 13 years, after Lord Bannatyne said he was the spider at the heart of a web of electronic abuse.

He is also due to contest his sentence, but no date for the appeal has been fixed.

Over eight weeks of evidence and speeches, a jury heard Strachan, Rennie and others in the dock described as the most evil paedophile ring uncovered in Scotland.

The investigation also netted six other perverts, who have been jailed for a total of 43 years.

Police launched Operation Algebra after computer equipment used by paint firm engineer Strachan, then living in Dalry, was sent for repair.

The investigation, launched in October 2007, quickly became international in scope. Courts in the USA granted warrants to obtain records from computer giant Microsoft.

The 18-month police operation uncovered 125,000 sick pictures of child sex abuse.

Rennie had been chief executive of an advice centre for sexually confused teenagers in the Capital.

The six others put behind bars included a bank worker, an insurance worker, a church bell ringer, a civil servant and a part-time DJ in a gay bar.