A review into how three Scots children fell victim to a gang of sex abusers must be concluded “as soon as possible”, an SNP minister has said.
Natalie Don-Innes told the Record “we absolutely have to learn lessons” after seven people were last month sentenced to a total of 94 years.
The Minister for Children and Young People last week met with the Glasgow Child Protection Committee, which is leading a multi-agency learning review.
It comes after three victims under the age of 13 were subjected to a catalogue of horrific sexual abuse and violence at a filthy drug den in Townhead, Glasgow, over a seven year period from 2012.
The perpetrators were finally sentenced in January after being found guilty on a variety of charges in November 2023.
The victims were subjected to years of abuse at a hell-hole flat dubbed “the beastie house”. All three children were on the radar of the authorities from July 2018 when they were added to Glasgow City Council’s child protection register.
One was a girl who was said to run wild in her community in the north of Glasgow. She was described as gaunt and had the worst case of head lice an expert had seen in her 30-year career.
The children were the subject of regular social services meetings – especially after an initial allegation of physical abuse was made in June 2019.
Asked if lessons would be learned from the case, Don-Innes, said: “I believe so. Child safeguarding is always a priority.
“In terms of that specific case, I met with the Glasgow Child Protection Committee last week. We absolutely have to learn lessons from that review, which is on-going, and I will be keeping in close contact with the committee going forward.”
The minister added the review would focus “in terms of what went wrong”.
She added: “I can’t go into too much detail around that, but I want to emphasise that meeting happened as soon as it could.”
Asked when the review was likely to complete, the minister added: “We would want it as soon as possible.”
Don-Innes previously told MSPs at Holyrood there was “no getting away from the fact these children were failed”.
She continued: “I can’t tell you specifically who they have been failed by. I think that’s what the review will tell us. But I wanted to be clear on, I am not running away from this, there have been failings here, and we have to get to the bottom of it to ensure it doesn’t happen to any more children.”
Police said the children had suffered “unimaginable abuse”, with the offences including rape, attempted murder and assault.
Iain Owens, 46; Elaine Lannery, 40; Lesley Williams, 43; Paul Brannan, 42; Scott Forbes, 51; Barry Watson, 48, and John Clark, 49, were jailed for between eight and 20 years and handed orders for lifelong restriction (OLRs).
Judge Lord Beckett told the gang, whose jail sentences totalled more than 93 years, that they may never be released from prison.
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