Paedophile ring convicted of abuse - News in brief - Evening Standard
       

Paedophile ring convicted of abuse

Eight members of a paedophile ring have been found guilty of a catalogue of child pornography and abuse charges, including the sexual assault of a three-month old baby.

Two of the men - convicted sex offender Neil Strachan and gay rights campaigner James Rennie - were convicted of sex attacks on children.

Strachan, 41, and Rennie, 38, both from Edinburgh, were also found guilty of conspiring to abuse youngsters, as were three other members of the gang.

And all eight accused in the 10-week trial at the High Court in Edinburgh were convicted of a series of child porn offences.

The gang members were traced through their explicit internet chats about sexual fantasies involving children.

Nearly 125,000 indecent images were seized during Operation Algebra, which uncovered the group, believed to be Scotland's biggest paedophile network.

Ross Webber, 27, of North Berwick, Craig Boath, 24, from Dundee and John Milligan, 40, from Glasgow, were all found guilty of conspiring to participate in the sexual abuse of children along with Strachan and Rennie.

The five men, with Colin Slaven, 23, from Edinburgh and Neil Campbell, 46 and John Murphy, 44, from Glasgow, were also convicted of a catalogue of child porn offences.

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