How did one of Britain’s most shocking paedophile rings get away with it for so long?
Could a head lice infestation have led to the unravelling of a child rape gang that inflicted unspeakable horror?
Warning: This article contains graphic details of abuse
A paedophile ring, a mix of seven Glasgow men and women, operated in plain sight for seven years despite what may appear to be major red flags.
From 2012, a group of children, including some young enough to still be wearing nappies, were subjected to organised “rape nights” by drug users who plied them with alcohol and cocaine.
None of those present tried to help the children, who were all aged under 13. Instead, they clapped, filmed and paid for the abuse to continue.
Questions remain over the abuse carried out in the ‘beastie house’
One boy remembers hearing a “beep” indicating a timer when one rape would end, and another would begin.
This horror unfolded behind the doors of a dirty drug den – a ground-floor flat in a city suburb infested by insects, which was known as the “beastie house”.
The gang even forced the primary school-age children to eat dog food and abuse each other while their molesters crowded round to spectate.
Inside the ground-floor flat that was the scene of such horror
They were shoved in microwaves and a locked fridge and freezer. One girl was hung by her clothes from a nail in the kitchen.
During the trial in 2023, which eventually saw the seven abusers each receive an order for lifelong restriction, judge Lord Beckett said the scandal plunged to the “depths of human depravity”.
The gang comprised Iain Owens, 46; Elaine Lannery, 40; Lesley Williams, 43; Paul Brannan, 42; Scott Forbes, 51; Barry Watson, 48 and John Clark, 48. They are all now in prison for a total of almost 100 years.
There are questions around how this could have happened in the first place.
The children were visited by social workers and even placed on the child protection register in 2018 before police cracked the case in 2020.
How can it be those youngsters, who were being regularly raped as part of an organised ring, could simultaneously sit on a register designed to prevent them from harm?
The High Court jury heard a selection of evidence from people who had concerns.
Police painstakingly worked through almost 1,000 pieces of evidence – so surely there would be someone willing to discuss the warning signs they spotted?
Sky News tracks down concerned witness
But nobody I encountered, from barbers to local shopkeepers, would speak. Until finally, I tracked down a man who had spoken to detectives as part of the investigation.
Sky News’ Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies
Speaking publicly for the first time, he revealed he saw the children regularly and recalled an evening where he spotted head lice on one girl and tried to arrange treatment.
“One of their hair was messy with head lice and because she was the same age as my child, I said ‘why won’t you do your hair’,” he said.
“She left them on her head to try and keep those beasts away from her. The head lice protected her from them.”
The man said he had concerns about how malnourished some of the victims were and described noticing the situation going “wrong” in 2018.
“They were always lingering around adults to try and get food. They were scavenging… It was heartbreaking,” he said.
“The system has failed.”
Sky News has learned concerns were raised with charities too. The actions of social workers, police and child protection services are now being investigated as part of an independent review.
These reviews are commonplace across Britain when serious harm or death is inflicted on a child.
Do reviews actually work?
But how effective are they when a commitment of “lessons will be learned” is then undone when the next tragedy comes along?
One former children’s commissioner for Scotland and leading child protection expert told Sky News the entire review process was being re-examined.
Former children’s commissioner for Scotland, Tam Baillie, with Connor Gillies
Tam Baillie said: “Learning reviews are important. The challenge for them is how effectively we implement the recommendations that come from reviews, as that is the bit that really counts.
“There is no point in doing the review unless it actively effects change in the system.”
Mr Baillie, who has 35 years of experience in child protection, said the public were right to ask questions about this case.
He said: “Currently, the process of learning reviews is being looked at so that we can make improvements to ensure we don’t keep looking at the same lessons coming up time and time again.”
Read more:
Victims were ‘failed’ by the system, Scottish government admits
Six members of paedophile gang to appeal convictions
The gang branded the children liars
I sat in the courtroom during the trial as the paedophiles, who were on bail at the time, laughed and joked in the dock between breaks.
Paul Brannan and Lesley Williams outside the High Court in Glasgow
Their sober performance when the jury was present was very different to their behaviour outside the confines of the High Court in Glasgow.
I have been reporting on criminal proceedings for almost 15 years and their boisterous conduct stands in stark contrast to other people accused of such serious crimes who seem to have more respect for the process.
A member of the paedophile gang outside the court in Glasgow
As the Sky News team filmed their mask-covered faces entering and leaving court, they would yell obscenities and threaten to attack us.
One repeatedly shouted that the children were “liars”. The jury did not believe a word of it and found them guilty.
At the end of another gruelling day of evidence, two of the accused walked out to their waiting taxi and threatened to “batter” me. One of them lunged in our direction.
They were swiftly told to “shut up” and “get in” the car by the lingering police officers.
Days later, a jury convicted them of some of the most heinous crimes this country has ever seen.
Leading KC calls it quits after this case
One leading KC, Thomas Leonard Ross, who was involved in the trial, has told Sky News this case was a tipping point for him.
After working on 400 High Court cases, he is so traumatised he says he will never work on a sex abuse case again.
Thomas Leonard Ross KC
“It is the worst example of child abuse I have ever heard. It was awful to sit and listen to,” he said.
“You were left with the impression that these children were known to the social work department. It seemed surprising that steps hadn’t been taken to remove them from the scenario they were in earlier.
“Questions were raised, and I understand why the public are seeking answers to those questions.”
It is unclear when the independent review will report on its findings, but Glasgow City Council has told Sky News it will implement all recommendations in full.
A spokesperson said: “This is a uniquely complicated case involving unusually sensitive issues and a number of individuals, and our focus remains on supporting everyone involved in this process.”
There is a consensus these children were failed. But our investigation raises fresh questions about how Scotland’s largest paedophile gang managed to cause such prolonged pain.
A woman accused of stalking the parents of Madeleine McCann allegedly left voicemails asking the mother of the missing girl for a DNA test, a court heard.
Jurors heard voicemails left by Julia Wandelt, 24, from Lubin, Poland, in which she was audibly upset.
She allegedly left the messages last year, over a period of months, and at one point asked: “What if I’m her?”
Co-defendant Karen Spragg, 61, began crying today at Leicester Crown Court and had to leave the dock when the voicemails were played.
Wandelt, whose head was down while jurors were listening, was heard saying: “I know you probably think Madeleine‘s dead. Well she is not. I really believe I’m her.
“Help me. Don’t think Madeleine is dead. This is a chance. Please, I beg you. The police don’t want to help me, they don’t want to help Madeleine. It’s all corrupt.
“I promise you that I will prove who I am because I know you love Madeleine.”
In another message, she said: “You probably believe Madeleine is not alive anymore.
Madeleine McCann went missing during a family holiday to Portugal in 2007. Pic: PA
“What if I am her? What if there’s a small chance that I’m her?”
Jurors also heard that, one night, Wandelt sent a message to Mrs McCann at 1am, saying: “I don’t understand why you don’t want to do a DNA test.”
Prosecutors allege that Wandelt, a Polish national, falsely claimed she was Madeleine while stalking parents Kate and Gerry McCann by sending emails, making calls and turning up at their address between June 2022 and February this year.
The court previously heard that Wandelt called and messaged Mrs McCann more than 60 times in a single day in April last year. This included alleged memories of Madeleine’s abduction.
Madeleine went missing during a family holiday to Praia da Luz in Portugal, in May 2007.
Wandelt and Spragg, of Caerau Court Road in Caerau, Cardiff, both deny one count of stalking.
The trial continues.
UK
Tommy Robinson refused to give phone pin to police as he drove his Bentley to Benidorm, court hears
Tommy Robinson refused to hand over his phone pin when police stopped his Bentley on the way to Benidorm, a court has heard.
He allegedly told officers “Not a chance, bruv” and said he was a journalist when they pulled him aside at the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone in July 2024.
Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is accused of “frustrating” counter-terrorism powers by refusing to give access to the phone.
He denies the charge.
The right-wing political activist was flanked by security guards as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court for the opening of the trial on Monday.
The 42-year-old faces three months in prison and/or a £2,500 fine if found guilty.
Robinson had £13,000 and 1,900 euros on him when he was stopped and told police he was going to Benidorm in Spain for a few days, said prosecutor Jo Morris.
He allegedly refused to give the pin as he claimed the phone had sensitive “journalist material” on it.
He’s said to have told police: “It’s my work, I’m a journalist,” claiming it contained information about “vulnerable girls”.
The court heard Robinson was stopped in his silver Bentley SUV because he gave “short, vague replies” about what he was doing and “made no eye contact”.
PC Mitchell Thorogood told the court it was also “unusual” he bought tickets on the day rather than in advance and was in an expensive car not registered in his name.
Pic: PA
When police took Robinson into an interview room and demanded his phone, he allegedly told them: “Not a chance bruv… you look like a c*** so you ain’t having it.”
Officers said they recognised Robinson when they stopped him and his lawyer, Alisdair Williamson KC, suggested the stop may have been “discriminatory” against his political beliefs.
Police can stop anyone at a UK port and hold them for six hours if they suspect they may be involved in planning or committing acts of terrorism.
They are legally obliged to answer questions and must give access to their electronic devices or face a criminal charge.
In a video on X before the hearing, Robinson said Elon Musk had “picked up the legal bill” for “this absolute state persecution”.
The case comes a month after Robinson led a huge rally in central London under the banner ‘Unite the Kingdom’.
The trial continues.
Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, has claimed the UK played a “vital role” in helping negotiate the Gaza peace deal, smoothing over a potential diplomatic row between London and Washington.
Witkoff took to X on Monday, ahead of meeting President Donald Trump in Israel, to praise the UK.
“I would like to acknowledge the vital role of the United Kingdom in assisting and coordinating efforts that have led us to this historic day in Israel,” Witkoff wrote.
“In particular, I want to recognise the incredible input and tireless efforts of National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell.”
His comments came 24 hours after education secretary Bridget Phillipson was branded “delusional” by Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, for claiming that Sir Keir Starmer’s presence at a signing ceremony for today’s ceasefire deal in Egypt “demonstrates the key role that we [Britain] have played”.
The minister made her remarks on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips but did not say exactly what the UK’s role in the ceasefire, largely attributed to Donald Trump, is or was.
Politics latest: Phillipson announces crackdown on antisemitism at UK universities
Phillipson added: “We have played a key role behind the scenes in shaping this.
“It’s right that we do so because it’s in all of our interest, including our own national interest, that we move to a lasting peace in the region.
“These are complex matters of diplomacy that we are involved in. But we do welcome and recognise the critical role that the American government played in moving us to this point.”
Her comments prompted Mr Huckabee to repost the Sky News clip on social media, claiming: “I assure you she’s delusional.”
He added: “She can thank Donald Trump anytime just to set the record straight.”
Mr Huckabee was part of the negotiating team for the peace deal, with Mr Trump calling the former Arkansas governor “AMAZING” as he said he “worked so hard, and did so much, to bring about peace in the Middle East”.
In August, Mr Huckabee said the UK and other European nations that said they would declare a Palestinian state were “having the counterproductive effect that they probably think that they want”.
Israel: UK did not play key role in peace deal
Israel’s deputy foreign affairs minister, Sharren Haskell backed Huckabee, telling Sky News the UK played “the opposite” of a key role in the peace deal after recognising the Palestinian state.
“The message that the UK government has sent Hamas was the message that: the longer they continue this war, they will be rewarded.
“I mean, you must understand that when a terrorist organisation is thanking you. You are on the wrong side of history.”
It is understood the prime minister has underlined Mr Trump’s key role in securing this deal throughout the process. Publicly, he praised Mr Trump twice in his press conference in India on Thursday.
Read more:
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Hamas official thanks Donald Trump for ceasefire deal
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Final preparations for hostages in Israeli hospital
Ms Phillipson stood by the September decision to declare a Palestinian state, saying it was “the right thing to do”.
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, told Sky News it was a “moment of leadership” for the UK to declare a Palestinian state, and a “responsibility to begin to correct a century of the gravest historic injustices committed against our people”.
He added: “That moment three weeks ago, when the UK did recognise, is a moment when we can say that the wheels of history are turning in a different direction.”
No plans for British troops on the ground
The education secretary also told Sky News the government has “no plans” to put British troops into Israel or Gaza as part of a stabilisation force after the ceasefire.
The US military will help establish a multinational force in Israel, known as a civil-military coordination centre, which is likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the UAE.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have walked back to Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Pic: AP
On Friday, US officials said up to 200 US troops already based in the Middle East will be moved to Israel to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza.
The day before, President Trump announced Israel and Hamas had “signed off on the first phase” of a peace plan he unveiled last week.
Pic: Reuters
Aid trucks have been gathering in Egypt to cross into Gaza after months of warnings by aid groups of famine in parts of the territory.
In Israel, the remaining hostages are due to be returned from Gaza by Hamas on Monday under the first phase of the peace plan. Twenty are believed to still be alive, 26 have been declared dead, while the fate of two is unknown.
The ceasefire agreement has been made two years after Hamas stormed Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which the UN deems reliable.
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