Latest news with #KevinBooth
Daily Maverick
18-05-2025
- Daily Maverick
Remote Scottish lodge reveals dark secrets: human trafficking and violence uncovered in court ruling
In February 2025 a Scottish court banned a man from leaving the UK after it was found his alleged conduct over several years relating to certain women was 'utterly harrowing'. South Africa features in this case. Lochdhu Lodge in Caithness, Scotland, is not accessible by public transport. Based on images online, trees and a body of water are positioned around the imposing property. Somewhere inside the remote premises are a trapdoor and 60m curved concrete tunnel leading to a chamber. According to Scotland's Wick Sheriff Court, this chamber 'consists of several areas, containing, inter alia, an empty coffin, life-size ancient Egyptian figures and a metal bench'. A judgment by the court in a civil matter, dated 1 February, states that the man who resides at the lodge, Kevin Booth, 'on numerous occasions, over many years, at Lochdhu Lodge and elsewhere, violently whips women and girls, causing them obvious extreme distress and pain'. The civil court, in its unprecedented ruling, has banned Booth from travelling outside the UK for five years. The judgment provides insight into the evidence that was presented to the court. Although it appears Booth had 'contracts' with some women who agreed to beatings, his conduct has been viewed as human trafficking and exploitation. And South Africa – and a South African woman – are referenced. Booth is also on trial for allegedly indecently communicating with a woman. This matter is expected to resume in August. He has denied the communication accusations, and is appealing the travel ban. Emails to two of his legal representatives in the travel ban case had not been responded to by the time of publication. 'Utterly harrowing' The judgment says a detective sergeant, Christopher Hughes, reviewed video and documentary evidence in the case. This included Skype messages recovered from Booth's electronic devices, which detailed issues relating to travel, including visas, and payment for women he was arranging to meet. Contracts containing 'agreements' between Booth and various women 'stating their obligation to submit to beatings as a term of their employment by the defender' were also found. 'The evidence of Mr Booth's egregious conduct, as presented in court, was, at times, utterly harrowing,' the judgment says. Videos showed Booth 'beating young women'. 'The graphic video footage, combined with the context and background provided by supporting documentary evidence in various forms, was redolent of a level of cruelty and depravity which, whilst extreme, one can only hope is rare.' 'Economically vulnerable women' Included in the judgment is a list of descriptions relating to the videos. One says: 'The video is 25 minutes long and shows a prolonged and sustained beating perpetrated by the defender. 'A young black woman is naked and kneeling on the floor. The defender [Booth] tells her there has been a problem and that there will be a punishment.' This 'problem' was that she had not called him 'sir' between 10am and 6.30pm. A description of another video says a young black woman is being caned. 'The video lasts for approximately 9 minutes. The beating occupies most of that time.' Hughes, according to the judgment, believed that Booth had travelled abroad regularly. 'He recruits economically vulnerable women from poor countries, arranges and pays for them to travel to a variety of countries, in particular South Africa, Dubai, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, where, once isolated and within his control, he subjects them to violent beatings,' it says. South African holiday Booth did not give evidence in the case and, apart from the transcript of an email exchange, no evidence was submitted on his behalf. South Africa is referenced in this email exchange, dated between October and November 2023. According to the judgment, the exchange involved police in Scotland, and in it Booth alluded to some plans to pay a woman while on holiday in South Africa, so that she could meet him and his family. The woman was referred to as a 'long-term friend'. 'As part of this exchange the defender is asked whether the woman had ever been sponsored by him or worked for him, and the defender replies stating that she had never worked for him,' the judgment says. It also references a Skype exchange in which Booth 'displays knowledge of how to circumvent United Kingdom immigration laws by arranging to travel to Dubai to meet a Miss AW, a South African citizen, in order that he can employ her in Dubai and thereafter sponsor her entry into the UK as an employee'. The judgment says the evidence in the matter has led to the ruling that Booth has 'committed acts of human trafficking and exploitation'. It also details a history of accusations linked to Booth. In 1991 he was accused of beating and whipping children in his care at a UK school. In 1992, The Independent reported that Booth, wanted in the UK, appeared to be launching a school in India. '[His] new venture was revealed when advertisements were placed in newspapers in Botswana, southern Africa, inviting parents to send their children to the boarding school in the Nadu region of India,' the article said. The judgment fills in what then happened: 'On his return [to the UK], in 1994, he was convicted after trial at Newcastle Crown Court of five charges of assaulting children.' The Telegraph reported in 2001 that Booth, whom it described as a 'millionaire racing tipster', was jailed for abusing his Brazilian au pair. 'He showed her a video of himself beating a young African woman on her bare buttocks to convince her that he would follow through with his threats,' the article said. 'After the trial, the court heard that Booth, [then] 41, had been convicted of common assault in 1994 for beating pupils at a boarding school he ran in Northumberland. On that occasion, he was given a suspended sentence.' The Scottish civil court judgment sums up Booth's background and allegations stemming from it. It says that between 1998 and December 2022, he recruited women from the UK and abroad, isolated and beat them, and 'through threats of violence' forced them 'to perform sexual acts on him'. DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
Telegraph
17-04-2025
- Telegraph
Housekeeper claims lodge owner offered money for sex
The owner of a Highland lodge has gone on trial, accused of making a woman 'scared and nervous' by his sexual advances. Kevin Booth, 65, a horse racing tipster, hired a female housekeeper to 'cut weeds' and give him regular massages, the court heard. On one occasion, Mr Booth is accused of offering her an 'extra payment' to 'spank' him. Mr Booth is accused at Wick sheriff court of directing 'sexual communication' towards the woman, who is now 40. The alleged offences are said to have taken place at Booth's home in Lochdhu Lodge, Altnabreac, Halkirk, where he lived with his wife and young child, between Aug 8 2022 and Dec 9 2022. On Thursday, the court heard that the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, found a job through a Facebook group. She was driven several hundred miles to Booth's home by her husband, and said she could not leave as she did not know where in Scotland she was and could not drive. Giving evidence with the assistance of an interpreter over a video link from overseas, the woman told the court that she was 'surprised' Booth was naked for the massages except for a towel covering his 'private parts'. She said Booth spoke to her after the massages, which took place either in his office or a 'private room', and would give her a 'rating' for them, saying they were 'normally seven out of 10, but sometimes eight out of 10'. The woman said that after one of the massages, Booth offered her an 'extra payment' to 'spank' him. On another occasion, she said, he offered her additional money 'if there was a happy ending' and he explained what it meant when she asked. She said she refused these requests, telling him at one point that she had children and adding that she had not done anything to suggest she was 'interested in discussing these kinds of things'. 'I am actually afraid' She also said that at one point, the towel with which Booth covered himself during massages was replaced with a 'handkerchief'. The trial also heard evidence from the woman's husband, who said he had advised her to start making recordings because she was feeling 'uncomfortable' with things Mr Booth was saying to her. She began to take video and audio recordings of the massages, with her phone tucked into her pocket, saying she acted after Booth had 'started to become naughty' during the sessions. She said: 'I started recording because whenever the cover [fell] he asked me to pick it up and cover himself, and [said] it is not his job to cover himself.' She described the effect Booth's actions had on her, saying: 'I am actually afraid, there is fear in my chest but I did my best not to show him. 'I was scared and nervous. I cannot really explain how I felt, but I was scared and nervous.' She also said that Mr Booth had asked her intimate questions about her first husband, including about the size of his 'manhood'. Required to be 'flexible' Cross-examining her, Mr Booth's advocate Brian McConachie KC put it to the woman that she knew the job would involve giving Mr Booth 'full-body massages' and providing 'body care', as this had been outlined in emails with her. The court heard she had initially ruled out doing these duties, but that she agreed to it after being told there was a need for someone who can be 'flexible' and do more than 'just cleaning'. She said: 'I said to my husband 'I will try to do it' 'I have no choice, I need to accept this job, I need to send money to my children every month.' Mr McConachie also said that, under her contract, if she had been 'uncomfortable with anything' she had been free to say so, and that she was also free to leave 'at any time', with outstanding wages settled and assistance given for booking a train or flight home. When asked if she had ever asked to change her duties she said no. The woman's husband said that he had offered to come and get her but that she had told him she was 'happy' and that she could 'handle things'. Mr McConachie expressed surprise that the husband had been 'prepared to leave her in a position where she was uncomfortable'. He put it to him the recordings were part of an attempt to 'extort' money from Mr Booth, and that he had 'demanded' £10,000 from him. The witness dismissed the allegation as 'rubbish'. He added: 'She wanted to carry on working there and it broke when he broke her.' Mr Booth denies one charge of directing sexual communication to a woman without her consent for the purposes of his own gratification, contrary to the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. The trial, before the sheriff Eilidh MacDonald, will resume on August 7.
The Independent
17-04-2025
- The Independent
Woman ‘scared and nervous' after millionaire's sexual advances, trial told
A 65-year-old millionaire racing tipster has gone on trial accused of leaving a woman 'scared and nervous' after making sexual advances towards her at his Highland home. Kevin Booth is accused at Wick Sheriff Court of directing 'sexual communication' towards the woman, who is now 40. The alleged offences are said to have taken place at Booth's home in Lochdu Lodge, Altnabreac, Halkirk, where he lived with his wife and young child, between August 8, 2022 and December 9, 2022. The court heard on Thursday that the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, found a job through a Facebook group and her contract included 'cutting weeds' and providing massages to Booth. She was driven several hundred miles and dropped off at Booth's home by her husband and said she did not know where in Scotland she was, and that she could not drive. Giving evidence with the assistance of an interpreter, the woman told the court she was 'surprised' Booth was naked for the massages except for a towel covering his 'private parts'. She said Booth spoke to her after the massages, which took place either in his office or a 'private room', and would give her a 'rating' for them, saying they were 'normally seven out of 10, but sometimes eight out of 10'. The woman said after one of the massages Booth offered her an 'extra payment' to 'spank' him. On another occasion, she said, he offered her additional money 'if there was a happy ending', and that he explained it to her when she asked him what it meant. She said she refused these requests, telling him at one point that she had children, and adding she had not done anything to suggest she was 'interested in discussing these kinds of things'. She also said that at one point, the towel with which Booth covered himself during massages was replaced with a 'handkerchief'. She said at her husband's suggestion, she began to take video and audio recordings of the massages, with her phone tucked into her pocket, saying she acted after Booth had 'started to become naughty' during the sessions. She said: 'I started recording because whenever the cover (fell) he asked me to pick it up and cover himself, and (said) it is not his job to cover himself.' She described the effect Booth's actions had on her, saying: 'I am actually afraid, there is fear in my chest but I did my best not to show him. 'I was scared and nervous. I cannot really explain how I felt, but I was scared and nervous.' She also said Booth had asked her intimate questions about her first husband, including about the size of his 'manhood'. Cross-examining her, Booth's advocate Brian McConachie KC put it to the woman that she knew the job would involve giving Booth 'full-body massages' and providing 'body care', as this had been spelled out in emails with her. The court heard she had initially ruled out doing these duties, but that she agreed to it after being told there was a need for someone who can be 'flexible' and do more than 'just cleaning'. 'I said to my husband 'I will try to do it',' she said. 'I have no choice, I need to accept this job, I need to send money to my children every month.' Mr McConachie also said that, under her contract, if she had been 'uncomfortable with anything' she had been free to say so, and that she was also free to leave 'at any time', with outstanding wages settled and assistance given for booking a train or flight home. When asked if she had ever asked to change her duties she said no. The trial also heard evidence from the woman's husband, who said he had advised her to start making recordings because she was feeling 'uncomfortable' with things Booth was saying to her. He added the recordings would show Booth's 'behaviour' towards her if 'anything happened to her', and that he had offered to come and get her but that she had told him she was 'happy' and that she could 'handle things'. Mr McConachie expressed surprise he had been 'prepared to leave her in a position where she was uncomfortable'. He put it to him the recordings were part of an attempt to 'extort' money from Booth, and that he had 'demanded' £10,000 from him. The witness dismissed the allegation as 'rubbish', adding that while his wife did receive £2,500 from Booth after she left in December, that was compensation for outstanding wages, which had been awarded in an employment tribunal. He added: 'She wanted to carry on working there and it broke when he broke her.' Booth denies one charge of directing sexual communication to a woman without her consent for the purposes of his own gratification, contrary to the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. The trial, before Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald, will resume on August 7.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Housekeeper claims lodge owner offered money for sex
The owner of a Highland lodge has gone on trial accused of making a woman 'scared and nervous' by his sexual advances. Kevin Booth, 65, a horse racing tipster, allegedly hired a female housekeeper to 'cut weeds' and give him regular massages. On one occasion, Mr Booth is accused of offering her an 'extra payment' to 'spank' him. Mr Booth is accused at Wick sheriff court of directing 'sexual communication' towards the woman, who is now 40. The alleged offences are said to have taken place at Booth's home in Lochdhu Lodge, Altnabreac, Halkirk, where he lived with his wife and young child, between August 8, 2022 and December 9, 2022. On Thursday, the court heard that the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, found a job through a Facebook group and her contract included cutting weeds and providing massages to Mr Booth. She was driven several hundred miles to Booth's home by her husband, and said she could not leave as she did not know where in Scotland she was and could not drive. Giving evidence with the assistance of an interpreter over a video link from overseas, the woman told the court she was 'surprised' Booth was naked for the massages except for a towel covering his 'private parts'. She said Booth spoke to her after the massages, which took place either in his office or a 'private room', and would give her a 'rating' for them, saying they were 'normally seven out of 10, but sometimes eight out of 10'. The woman said that after one of the massages Booth offered her an 'extra payment' to 'spank' him. On another occasion, she said, he offered her additional money 'if there was a happy ending', and that he explained it to her when she asked him what it meant. She said she refused these requests, telling him at one point that she had children, and adding she had not done anything to suggest she was 'interested in discussing these kinds of things'. She also said that at one point, the towel with which Booth covered himself during massages was replaced with a 'handkerchief'. She said at her husband's suggestion, she began to take video and audio recordings of the massages, with her phone tucked into her pocket, saying she acted after Booth had 'started to become naughty' during the sessions. She said: 'I started recording because whenever the cover [fell] he asked me to pick it up and cover himself, and [said] it is not his job to cover himself.' She described the effect Booth's actions had on her, saying: 'I am actually afraid, there is fear in my chest but I did my best not to show him. 'I was scared and nervous. I cannot really explain how I felt, but I was scared and nervous.' She also said Mr Booth had asked her intimate questions about her first husband, including about the size of his 'manhood'. Mr Booth denies one charge of directing sexual communication to a woman without her consent for the purposes of his own gratification, contrary to the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. The trial, before the sheriff, Eilidh MacDonald, continues. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Independent
17-04-2025
- The Independent
Woman ‘scared and nervous' after man's sexual advances, trial told
A 65-year-old man has gone on trial accused of leaving a woman 'scared and nervous' after making sexual advances towards her at his Highland home. Kevin Booth is accused at Wick Sheriff Court of directing 'sexual communication' towards the woman, who is now 40. The alleged offences are said to have taken place at Booth's home in Lochdu Lodge, Altnabreac, Halkirk, where he lived with his wife and young child, between August 8, 2022 and December 9, 2022. The court heard on Thursday that the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, found a job through a Facebook group and her contract included 'cutting weeds' and providing massages to Booth. She was driven several hundred miles to Booth's home by her husband, and said she could not leave as she did not know where in Scotland she was and could not drive. Giving evidence with the assistance of an interpreter, the woman told the court she was 'surprised' Booth was naked for the massages except for a towel covering his 'private parts'. She said Booth spoke to her after the massages, which took place either in his office or a 'private room', and would give her a 'rating' for them, saying they were 'normally seven out of 10, but sometimes eight out of 10'. The woman said after one of the massages Booth offered her an 'extra payment' to 'spank' him. On another occasion, she said, he offered her additional money 'if there was a happy ending', and that he explained it to her when she asked him what it meant. She said she refused these requests, telling him at one point that she had children, and adding she had not done anything to suggest she was 'interested in discussing these kinds of things'. She also said that at one point, the towel with which Booth covered himself during massages was replaced with a 'handkerchief'. She said at her husband's suggestion, she began to take video and audio recordings of the massages, with her phone tucked into her pocket, saying she acted after Booth had 'started to become naughty' during the sessions. She said: 'I started recording because whenever the cover (fell) he asked me to pick it up and cover himself, and (said) it is not his job to cover himself.' She described the effect Booth's actions had on her, saying: 'I am actually afraid, there is fear in my chest but I did my best not to show him. 'I was scared and nervous. I cannot really explain how I felt, but I was scared and nervous.' She also said Booth had asked her intimate questions about her first husband, including about the size of his 'manhood'. Booth denies one charge of directing sexual communication to a woman without her consent for the purposes of his own gratification, contrary to the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. The trial, before Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald, continues.
