Scotland's most notorious paedos set for release as pics reveal they're already on streets
THE ringleaders of a huge paedophile network are wandering the streets and staying in the same digs.
James Rennie, 54, and Neil Strachan, 57, have served 16 years for vile child sex crimes.
6
6
6
We can reveal they've been at an Edinburgh hostel as a source slammed it as 'astonishing'.
The move towards releasing two of Scotland 's most notorious paedophiles simultaneously has been branded 'a risk to public safety'.
Rennie, 54, who sexually assaulted a three-month-old baby, and Strachan, 57, who tried to rape an 18-month-old boy, are already walking the streets during leave from an open prison for prolonged stays in an offenders' hostel.
The sick duo were jailed in 2009 after they were caught heading the country's biggest paedophile ring — involving eight members and a haul of 125,000 horrific child abuse images and videos.
Prison chiefs are allowing them to stay in the same digs in Edinburgh in what is believed to be part of a programme for their permanent release into the community.
Insiders told The Scottish Sun that Rennie and Strachan get week-long stays at the Crane Hostel in the capital's New Town.
And our pictures show that the fiends' visits to the facility — which lies just 0.7 miles from a primary school — even overlap.
Scottish Tory deputy spokeswoman on victims and community safety, Sharon Dowey, said: 'Victims will be disgusted that these predatory criminals are freely walking about in Edinburgh.
'This decision clearly poses a risk to public safety and sums up the contempt the SNP's justice system has for brave victims.
'All too often their needs are shamefully sidelined in favour of criminals' needs.'
Watch 'perv' teacher Christina Formella arrive at court with husband by her side…as she's accused of molesting teen boy
Sources say the paedophile partnership freely fraternise at low security Castle Huntly nick, near Dundee.
One said: 'It's disgusting. There are loads of them in Castle Huntly and they all go about with each other growing their network.
'They are even locked up in the same hall in the prison, so when the doors are closed at 7.30pm at night they sit in each others cells.'
The source added: 'These two shouldn't be allowed out for what they did, never mind for seven days at a time.'
We watched as Strachan, a former secretary of Celtic Boys Club in Edinburgh, arrived at Crane Hostel a week past Thursday.
And he was still there a week later, when we saw him emerge at 10am to take a stroll around Edinburgh city centre.
Wearing a baseball cap and carrying a rucksack, he enjoyed soaring temperatures as he walked towards the city's Princes Street among unwitting passers-by.
6
6
6
He returned to the hostel a short time later.
Then, just after 11am his accomplice Rennie — who was thought to be just starting a week away from prison — arrived at the hostel on foot carrying a rucksack.
He looked sheepishly over his shoulder as he waited to be let into the building.
Then, within half- an-hour we pictured Strachan emerging from the same door.
It's understood he was leaving to go back to prison after spending his week away.
Rennie also appeared to have gone out for a walk to enjoy the sunshine.
Pictures show him returning to the hostel at around 5pm.
It is thought the pair are subject to a strict curfew between 9pm and 8am when they are there.
Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: 'These worrying reports raise serious questions that must be answered.
'Given the horrific nature of these crimes, it is concerning that these men are being given the chance to fraternise.
The SNP must work with all relevant services to ensure that public safety is being properly protected.'
We told how Strachan and Rennie, both of Edinburgh, were jailed for a minimum of 16 and 13 years respectively.
But appeal judges reduced Strachan's term to nine years and Rennie's to eight-and-a-half years.
As well as preying on a baby, teacher Rennie, ex-chief executive of LGBT Youth Scotland, also conspired to get access to children in order to abuse them.
Strachan tried to rape his 18-month-old victim while looking after him at Hogmanay 2005.
He also downloaded and pored over online child abuse images.
Strachan, who is HIV positive, was previously given a three-year prison sentence in 1997 for abusing a boy.
Cops uncovered the paedophile ring after he handed his computer in for repair and child abuse material was found.
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: 'We do not comment on individuals.
"Anyone being considered for home leave is subject to a rigorous multi-agency risk assessment and if approved, individualised plans are put in place to meet their risks and needs.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
31 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Councils ‘covered up grooming gangs scandal'
A new grooming gangs public inquiry will target areas where councils have covered up scandals. Baroness Casey, who led an audit into the scale of grooming, has recommended that a national inquiry should be set up to co-ordinate a series of targeted local investigations. These will be overseen by a new independent commission with full statutory inquiry powers to compel witnesses to attend. The proposed inquiry should be 'time-limited, targeted and proportionate to the number of victims', to avoid long delays. The new commission will draw on criminal investigations, including a new nationwide probe by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and evidence from victims and witnesses. It would have the authority to establish local investigations in areas where statutory services are found to have failed or obstructed justice.. Sir Keir Starmer announced at the weekend that he will accept the recommendations of Lady Casey's 200-page report after previously resisting calls for a national inquiry and accusing proponents of ' jumping on the bandwagon of the far Right '. The Prime Minister said that he had changed his mind after reading Lady Casey's audit into the scale and nature of grooming gangs which will be published on Monday afternoon. Her review is understood to have established an explicit link between grooming gangs and men of Pakistani origin. She will confirm concerns that the victims were let down by councils and police by being ' institutionally ignored for fear of racism '. She will say that there will need to be a process to identify cases and allegations of statutory agencies' failures, with the Government developing criteria to determine the 'types and extent' of failures that could trigger a local hearing. It is understood that the Government received the report 10 days ago and has already started work on setting up the framework for the inquiry. A chairman is expected to be appointed 'within weeks'. Sarah Champion, the MP for Rotherham who has campaigned for justice for victims, welcomed an inquiry into the cover-up of grooming scandals. She said: 'I would say that cover up is a strong word. I would use it to be honest. I have an intense frustration that, not the frontline staff, but further up the management chain, there were people who were actively blocking reports. There are people who, if not held to criminal standards, should be held to a professional standard for their negligence in protecting these children. 'What I saw was those people that would have faced the most criticism have left, taken early retirement, changed to a different job, and some of them are having very successful careers. That's an intense frustration when, because of their negligence, they have let children continue to be exposed, exploited and not secure justice.' Nazir Afzal, the former chief prosecutor for north west England, said he was sceptical about whether a national inquiry could deliver justice but believed the national investigation by the NCA could do so. He added: 'Only criminal investigations can bring real accountability. That's where you can use all the powers police have in terms of investigation and going through all the documents, and then interviewing people under caution. 'That's what needs to happen, and that's what I've always been for, is not just those who offended but also those who stood by and did not do what they were meant to do. That's how you deliver accountability. And unfortunately, my experience of national inquiries is that they take forever and don't deliver accountability.' Sammy Woodhouse, a victim, said of a new national inquiry: 'It needs to investigate every single council and police force in this country. It needs to be independent, and it needs to have the statutory power. 'I want people named. We need to name, shame and bring these people to account, because not one person has been set to account yet. We hear that lessons have been learnt, well, no lessons have been learnt because we're still here. We're still decades on, trying to fight for this, and still, of course, happening today.' Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said: 'The vulnerable young girls who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of groups of adult men have now grown into brave women who are rightly demanding justice for what they went through when they were just children. 'Not enough people listened to them then. That was wrong and unforgivable. We are changing that now.' Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said the inquiry must consider 'whether officials and public servants who covered up or turned a blind eye to the rapes should be investigated for the crime of misconduct in public office'. He added: 'Keir Starmer's inquiry u-turn is too little, too late. He smeared those, including me, calling for a national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal as 'far-Right' and now he's been forced into a u-turn by the bite we planned next week and the imminent Casey report. 'The NCA announcement is a desperate smokescreen cooked up over the weekend to distract from Labour's failures. 'Labour spent six months blocking a statutory inquiry. That is six months of delayed justice. Yvette Cooper led the opposition to an inquiry, and now she pretends she thinks it's a great idea. Labour needs to get a grip and put the survivors of these appalling crimes first. 'We need a proper inquiry with full powers to uncover the truth.'
The Sun
31 minutes ago
- The Sun
Ex-soldier who brutally murdered mum with meat cleaver before dismembering her body could be FREED early from jail
A SOLDIER who brutally murdered a young mother with a meat cleaver could soon be freed from prison. Killer Stephen Wynne murdered 27-year-old mum-of-three Chantel Taylor by striking her in the neck and then dismembering her body with a saw. 3 3 Wynne, who was 26 at the time of the murder in 2004, later stashed Chantel's remains in her own loft before moving them a few days later into a nearby woods and the local tip. Her body was never discovered, meaning her family were forced to hold a funeral with just traces of her DNA from the murder scene in Birkenhead. Now the Sun Online can reveal Wynne, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2006 after pleading guilty to murder, is set to appear before the Parole Board in two weeks. His will 'horrify' Chantel's family, according to one MP. Esther McVey who has been supporting the family said: "In this case life should mean life." Wynne was originally sentenced to life with a minimum term of 21 years was reduced to 18 on appeal. In 2023 he won the right to be moved to an open prison after a judge dismissed an objection by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab. A senior judge ruled in Wynne's favour, concluding that the Government had provided "no good reason" for rejecting the board's recommendation. Ms Taylor's mother, Jean Taylor, has previously told of the 'deep distress and devastation' felt by her family over the murder. Earlier this year Mrs Taylor travelled to London to present a petition to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer demanding a change in the law alongside Chantel's daughter, Whitney, 31, her sister, Natasha, 53 and Ms McVey. They say current rules known as Helen's Law, in memory of Helen McCourt, whereby a killer who refuses to disclose the location of their victim's remains are barred from being granted parole, has a "significant limitation". Chantel's family say Helen's law allows offenders who falsely claimed to reveal the location of concealed body parts to 'avoid the full accountability they deserve during parole hearings.' A Parole Board spokesperson said: "An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Stephen Wynne and is scheduled to take place in June 2025. "Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. 'A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims. 'Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing. 'Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing. 'The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. 'Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.'
BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
Cyclist, 81, dies days after A165 Bridlington crash
An 81-year-old cyclist has died nearly two weeks after a crash in Bridlington, police have Armitage was involved in a crash with a Chevrolet Captiva SUV at the junction of the A165 and Grindale Lane on 2 Police said he was being treated in hospital for serious injuries but died on Armitage's family are being supported by specially trained officers and have asked for privacy, the force added. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
