Eight members of one of the worst paedophile rings ever uncovered in Scotland are facing long jail sentences after they were found guilty of a variety of child porn offences.
A jury at the High Court in Edinburgh found Neil Strachan, 41, James Rennie, 38, Ross Webber, 27, Craig Boath, 24, and John Milligan, 40, guilty of plotting to turn their sick fantasies into reality by arranging access to children to carry out acts of gross sexual abuse.
Neil Campbell, 46, John Murphy, 44, and Colin Slaven, 23, were along with the other five men found guilty of possessing child pornography.
Rennie, at the time of the offence, was an outwardly respectable boss of an advice centre for youngsters having difficulties over their sexuality. He used a computer link at the LGBT Youth Scotland centre in Leith to access child porn.
But Rennie grossly abused a baby he was looking after, circulated photos of the abuse and allowed another man to join in. He also offered the child to other perverts during internet chats and allowed a pal to listen in over the phone while he abused the little boy.
Strachan, who has already served a prison sentence for child abuse, joined Rennie for a session with the tot at Rennie's flat in the Meadowbank area of Edinburgh at some time when the little boy was between one and three years old. Strachan is HIV-positive but his victim was not infected.
From top left to right: Neil Campbell, John Milligan, Neil Strachan, Craig Boath; Bottom left to right: John Murphy, James Rennie, Colin Slaven, Ross Webber
Strachan was also found guilty of attempting to sodomise an 18-month-old toddler on the night of Hogmanay 2005 at flat in the Dalry area of Edinburgh which he shared with then boyfriend Slaven.
The sex act was photographed - using Strachan's work camera - and sent to Rennie.
Rennie also involved loner Milligan in his sick acts by allowing him to listen to the baby - referred to during the trial as "Child F" to protect his identity - being abused.
Milligan, a prolific distributor of child porn with more than 78,000 photos and video clips in his collection, also discussed getting his hands on the child - and passed on images of Rennie's abuse to others.
On Thursday, the second day of deliberation, the jury found the men guilty of a total of 53 offences.
The verdicts cap an 18-month police investigation involving 13 specialist officers looking into an internet pedophile ring. Operation Algebra uncovered almost 125,000 photos and video clips, many exchanged among individuals through e-mail and internet chats.
Testimony in this case was abhorrent even for the most seasoned of investigators. One prosecuting attorney said the term "indecent images" only served to sanitize what really happened.
Lothian and Borders Police launched the investigation after a chance find of a naked 12-year-old boy on a works computer linked to Strachan, an engineer from Edinburgh, whom the jury heard boasted to a friend of being in one of the images.
The court also heard of a betrayal of trust by Rennie. Police found a series of images in Rennie's e-mail account, KPLover99@hotmail.com. Questioned by police, he told them: "It's me trying to be witty. KP is short for kids porn."
The jury was shown e-mail exchanges sent by Rennie to Strachan. In one, Rennie wrote: "Hi, I'm in Edinburgh and have some access to a baby boy." In another he offered: "I would like to share my b with you." A further communication suggested: "I might have the b this weekend if you're interested."
DEVASTATED
The devastated parents of one baby told how police turned up at their door to ask if they recognised their child in photos and a video. The couple described how they knew Rennie, the man linked to the abuse of their son. They said he was a close friend who they trusted to baby-sit their child when he was an infant and toddler. They saw images from Rennie's computer and recognised their son.
"I think it would be fair to say it's turned our lives upside down," said the mother. "To care for our son in a normal way has been very challenging." They were also shown two videos of their son being abused.
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RESOURCE
VIDEO: Police inspectors read statements on behalf of victims' families
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Each individual on trial had their own extensive collection of child porn. Boath, a insurance claims adjuster from Dundee who had ambitions of becoming a police officer, had 31,385 indecent images - among them 1,261 stills and 15 video clips graded by experts at the most depraved end of the scale. Civil servant Milligan, from Glasgow was found to have 78,289 indecent images including 141 video clips.
The jury learned that the offences were committed in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and East Lothian between January 2003 and November 2007.
The seven-man, seven-woman panel delivered their verdicts after a thorough review of the charges. One man from the jury was excused during the trial.
Judge Lord Bannatyne presided over the ten-week proceedings.
CHARGES
The list of charges the men were found guilty of were:
Neil Strachan - guilty of attempting to rape an 18-month-old boy, abusing a six year old boy, abusing a boy aged three months to four years old, being involved in a conspiracy to commit child sex abuse and possessing and distributing child pornography.
James Rennie - guilty of sexually abusing a boy aged from three months to four years old, being involved in a conspiracy to commit child sex abuse and possessing and distributing child pornography.
John Milligan - guilty of being involved in a conspiracy to commit child sex abuse, possessing and distributing child pornography.
Craig Boath - guilty of being involved in a conspiracy to commit child sex abuse, possessing and distributing child pornography.
Neil Campbell, 46, a manager from Bearsden, Glasgow - guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography. He was found not guilty of being involved in a conspiracy to commit child sex abuse,
North Berwick bank worker Ross Webber, 27 - guilty of being involved in a conspiracy to commit child sex abuse and possessing and distributing child pornography
John Murphy, 44, a sauna worker from Glasgow - guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography
Colin Slaven, 23, IT worker from Edinburgh - guilty of possessing child pornography
