Five men and two women have been given Orders for Lifelong Restrictions and jailed for a total of 93 years for sexually abusing children in the Glasgow area.
At the High Court in Glasgow today (Monday, 27 January, 202)5 Iain Owens, 46, was jailed for 20 years, Elaine Lannery, 40, for 17 years, Scott Forbes, 51, for eight years, Barry Watson, 48, for nine and a half years, Lesley Ann Williams, 42, for 14 years, Paul Brannan, 42, for 15 years, and John Clark, 48, for 10 years.
They were convicted in November 2023 following an eleven-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
The offences took place between 2012-2019 and were reported to police in June 2019. Following an extensive investigation, eleven individuals were arrested and charged in October 2020.
Detective Inspector Lesley-Ann McGee said: “I hope today’s outcome can help the young victims in moving forward.
“This was a long, complex and challenging investigation for a team of officers and staff who had to work through the most harrowing evidence to bring those responsible for these despicable crimes to justice.
“Since the investigation began we’ve worked closely with a range of partners in Social Work, Health, Education, Crown Office and the third-sector to protect and support the victims.
“We remain committed to supporting victims of sexual crime and protecting children from harm and abuse. We will use all available resources to find and arrest the abusers, no matter how much time has passed.
“I would urge anyone who is a victim of abuse to speak to police in the knowledge you will be listened to, taken seriously and fully supported.”
Mary Glasgow, chief executive at Children First said: “No sentence will ever reflect the extreme cruelty and horrifying abuse that three children endured for so long. The depths of their suffering will be unimaginable to most people in Scotland, but none of us should turn away from it.
“This is one of the most extreme cases of abuse ever seen in a Scottish court, but every day children and young people in Scotland are experiencing violence and abuse.
“Children can’t protect themselves and they need all of us to help them stay safe. And, without support to recover, the trauma of childhood abuse can be devastating and last a lifetime.
“If you have concerns about a child, Children First’s support line will listen and help you work through what’s best for the child. It’s free to call on: 08000 28 22 33 or you can speak to our team online at childrenfirst.org.uk”
Survey findings show only one in five people have heard of paid-ad spoofing scams.
The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) is currently investigating 140 claims linked to paid-ad spoofing activity collectively worth £1.82 million (£13K per claim).
Amy, 25 from Liverpool, shares her experience of being targeted.
IFB has launched a national campaign to help people spot the signs of the scam and report it to CheatLine.
The public must be vigilant when searching for their insurer online, warns the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), as it’s revealed that victims of paid-ad spoofing scams could be facing up to £13,000 in unsolicited fees.
Paid-ad spoofing scams involve unscrupulous firms paying for search engine ads that mimic those of genuine insurers. The victim, who needs to contact their insurer to make a claim, can unwittingly contact a third party while believing they’re dealing with their insurer, only to rack up thousands of pounds in fees which otherwise could have been covered by their policy.
Recent YouGov findings show only one in five people (18%) have heard of paid-ad spoofing scams and with millions using insurance services every day, countless consumers are at risk.[1] As a result, the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has launched a national campaign to highlight the signs of the scam and to encourage people to report it to CheatLine.
Jon Radford, Head of Intelligence, Investigations & Data Services at the IFB, said: “Paid-ad spoofing is a malicious and calculated practice which can have a devastating impact on victims.
“Unscrupulous firms will deliberately pay for search engine ad results that misrepresent genuine insurers. Having just experienced a road traffic collision, their victims are often in a shaken state, and when they call who they think is their insurer for support they end up trapping themselves in legal agreements that may cost them everything.
“We’re working with insurers and the police to raise awareness and the message is simple – save your insurer’s contact details so you have it to hand if needed and report any signs of paid-ad spoofing scams to our confidential CheatLine.”
It can happen to anyone
Amy, a 25-year-old Camera Assistant from Liverpool, was returning home after visiting friends in early 2024. While driving along a dual carriageway at 50mph, a driver cut in front of her and caused a collision. She knew she had to contact her insurer as soon as she got home. Still shaken, she searched for her insurer on her phone’s browser and called a number on a sponsored ad and provided her details, while being completely unaware it was a third party.
The man on the other end of the phone had been helpful, however Amy thought it was unusual that he hadn’t asked for her policy number. When she told her father, Carl, who is coincidently a counter-fraud Manager at Aviva, he realised she’d been targeted by a paid-ad spoofing scam. Together, they made a series of exhausting phone calls over several hours, to finally withdraw from financial arrangements so Amy wouldn’t face unsolicited charges.
Amy commented on the experience: “I’d never think that I’d be the type of person to be scammed from something like this, but these people are very good at what they do and they’ll get you when you don’t think you’re in a position to be caught, so it’s important to be careful and check everything when searching for your insurer.”
Pete Ward, Head of Claims Counter Fraud at Aviva, said: “The scourge of misleading online ads is an issue that affects all motorists and insurers. At Aviva, we believe prevention is better than cure, which is why we are working with the IFB to highlight the serious financial implications of paid-ad spoofing. We suggest that drivers save their insurer’s claims number in their phones or keep it handy in their vehicles.
“When customers mistakenly respond to misleading online ads, we take immediate action to identify and investigate, sharing intelligence with the IFB and relevant regulators. Our proactive monitoring of ads that breach Google’s terms has led to successful takedowns of misleading ads and associated web domains.
“We’ve seen too many instances where customers contact us about a claim, only to find they never made a claim with Aviva. Imagine the concern when customers realize they don’t know who they are dealing with, what they have agreed to, or the implications of these agreements.
“This confusion puts customers at risk of extreme financial harm: they enter agreements for services like recovery, storage, repair, and hire, believing these costs are covered by their insurance. However, if these costs aren’t recovered from the other party’s insurer, the customer may be liable.
“There should be no situation where a customer is misled about the identity of the company they are dealing with or the financial implications of the agreements they have signed.”
How do paid-ad spoofing scams work?
A paid-ad spoofing scam is when a claims firm pays for a search engine ad result which shows up when someone is looking for their insurer. The ads are similar in style to that of a genuine insurer’s and are more likely to appear in mobile phone searches, to encourage people to call through quickly.
Over the phone, the firm may use general terminology to sound like the insurer or to imply that they are affiliated with them. The victim is asked for their personal details to receive ‘support services’ such as a replacement vehicle, and potentially make a claim, which can result in unsolicited third-party agreements.
While any insurance customer can fall victim, those who have been in a road traffic collision are most at risk as they may be shaken after an accident and not thinking as clearly when looking to make a claim. Victims may also believe their fully-comp motor insurance covers everything, but as they don’t know they’re not talking to their insurer, they can sign up to more and more services and it may be weeks until they discover the charges.
Who pays these fees varies. If the other driver is at fault, the firm will claim against their insurer to recover the costs of its unsolicited services. In these cases, the affected individual may not realise they have been linked to a scam. Or, if the other insurer doesn’t believe all the charges as justified, then the victim of the paid-ad spoofing scam may still face some costs.
However, if the other driver is not at fault of the collision, the onus is entirely placed on the person who was mislead into contacting the claims firm for support, to cover all costs that otherwise could have been included with their insurance policy. These fees can run into tens of thousands of pounds and can result in non-stop threatening calls to the victim from third-party firms. In one case, a victim was even pursued to cover over £50,000 in unsolicited fees.
Not only can victims suffer a financial loss, but there is also evidence some firms linked to paid-ad spoofing activity have stolen personal information to use in further fraudulent activity.
The IFB is currently investigating 140 claims linked to paid-ad spoofing worth over £1.8 million in suspected fraud, however it’s believed these figures only scratch the surface as many people are unaware they’ve been targeted.[2]
Top tips to avoid paid-ad spoofing scams
Keep your insurer’s contact details written down or saved on your phone.
Download your insurer’s app as this usually has customer service support functionality.
If searching for your insurer online, go on the insurer’s website to obtain contact details.
If viewing a sponsored ad result, check the URL and phone number to ensure it’s legitimate, before sharing any personal information and agreeing to claims services.
If anyone has concerns relating to paid-ad spoofing scams, they should tell their insurer and contact the IFB’s confidential CheatLine online or via 0800 422 0421.
Are you a local community group, small business, or artisan looking to showcase your talents and connect with the community? Join us at Leith Gala Day 2025 on Saturday 14th June at Leith Links!
This is your chance to share your products, services, and passion with thousands of visitors while celebrating the vibrant heart of Leith. From food stalls to crafts, performances, and community activities, there’s a spot for everyone.
Date: Saturday 14th June 2025
Location: Leith Links
Apply now to be part of one of the biggest events on the Leith calendar!
As the Royal British Legion Scotland and Poppyscotland prepare for Scotland’s Salute to VE Day 80th Anniversary commemorations concert in May, 2025, we want to honour the lives and experiences of our veterans.
We are looking for remarkable stories to feature in the May 6 concert, at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, to celebrate your courage, sacrifices, and impact.
We will also be looking at ways to preserve and honour all stories received beyond this occasion.
If you’re a World War 2 veteran, a relative or carer of a veteran and want to share your story for consideration, please get in touch with us on 0131 550 1583 or email us at events@legionscotland.org.uk
Submissions are open until 14th February, 2025, Thank you for your service and your willingness to share your journey.
LAST WEEK the Scottish government confirmed that plans for a National Care Service (NCS) in Scotland have been scrapped in favour of an advisory board and smaller, more targeted reforms (write FRASER of ALLANDER INSTITUTE’s MAIRI SPOWAGE and EMMA CONGREVE).
The decision came after months of declining support from key organizations and stakeholders including COSLA, key trade unions and representative bodies for social care providers in Scotland.
Beyond the wavering support for the NCS plans, there is clear support for social care reform, particularly in enhancing access to and the quality of services.
Our interest in the National Care Service, and wider social care reform stems back to 2022, in which we conducted analysis of the NCS bill published in June of that year. Following this work, published in August 2022, we engaged with a number of stakeholders across the private, public and third sector.
Among concerns around governance and funding of the NCS, one of the key concerns from stakeholders we engaged with was the lack of good quality and timely data that is crucial to ensuring that any reforms to social care are well informed. In particular, the need to better understand what future levels of social care demand might be, the workforce requirements to accommodate this, and the associated expenditure on social care.
Our concerns about the lack of investment in social care research were highlighted in our response to the Wave 2 consultation. The Scottish Government has not commissioned any work in this area, and we have not been able to find independent funders willing to fund work of this nature in Scotland.
It is our view that projections of demand and cost of the current service, and any future reforms, is urgently required.
New labour market data published
The latest data on the labour market in the UK was published last week. There are many documented issues with the data at the moment due to the challenges faced by the Labour Force Survey, which means the headline figure are no longer considered accredited Official Statistics.
If you can set that aside for a moment, the headline results show on the surface a strong Labour market in Scotland, with high employment (74.1%) and low unemployment (3.8%). Inactivity rates remain slightly higher than the UK at 22.9%.
There are a number of other data sources published alongside the LFS data which is used to supplement our understanding of what is going on in the Scottish economy. One of these is the payrolled employment data, known as the PAYE Real-Term Information, which is published every month by the ONS. This draws on administrative records, and so is likely to be more reliable in terms of employment (although, of course, tells us nothing about unemployment or inactivity).
This data shows that payrolled employment is almost 3% higher in Scotland than pre-pandemic levels. However, we had a look at replicating the sectoral breakdowns in this interesting piece by think.ing, which looks at government-dominated sectors vs the rest.
Chart:Payrolled employment in all sectors, government dominated sectors (public administration, health and education, and total excluding government, Scotland, January 2020=100
Source: ONS
This shows that once the government dominated sectors are excluded, payroll employment has been falling since March 2024, and is now almost back at the levels seen in January 2020. In contrast, government dominated sectors are 8% about pre-COVID levels.
Given some of the challenges facing the private sector in the first half of 2025, including large increases in employer National insurance contributions which will come in in April, the trend in private sector employment is concerning, and points to a weakness masked if we just look at employment in total.
However, it is worth emphasising again that this is just payrolled employment, and does not cover self-employment.
The Westminster Government has today (Monday 27 January) pledged to end the throwaway society and clean up Britain, as it implements legislation for the deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England and Northern Ireland.
Once the scheme launches in October 2027, consumers will have a financial incentive to return empty containers to a collection point, such as at their local supermarket, so that the bottle or can will be recycled.
Used in more than 50 countries worldwide as a common-sense means of encouraging people to recycle more single-use bottles and cans, a DRS sees people being paid back for returning the container.
Countries such as Germany, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland have successfully implemented schemes, ensuring valuable materials are collected, recycled and made back into new drinks containers – a truly circular approach easily grasped by the public. The average return rate for European countries with a DRS is 90%, according to global eNGO Reloop, with Germany showing the best results at 98%.
Introducing such a scheme in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland is a simple yet hugely effective way of addressing problems with rubbish building up on our streets and in our rivers and oceans, while also ensuring the public gets money back on their bottle.
Across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, consumers buy an estimated 30 billion single-use drinks containers each year – including 12 billion plastic drinks bottles and 13 billion drinks cans. An estimated 6.5 billion single-use drinks bottles and cans per year go to waste rather than being recycled, with many ending up littered. Research from the Marine Conservation Society shows 97% of surveyed beaches were polluted with drinks-related items in 2023.
Encouraging everyone to get involved in recycling, the DRS will be introduced in October 2027, with 150ml to three-litre single-use drinks containers made from plastic and metal included in the scheme.
Delivering these reforms and driving investment in the recycling sector delivers on the Government’s Plan for Change through kickstarting growth, ensuring economic stability, greater efficiency, and jobs fit for the future.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said:This Government will clean up Britain and end the throwaway society.
“This is a vital step as we stop the avalanche of rubbish that is filling up our streets, rivers and oceans and protect our treasured wildlife. Turning trash into cash also delivers on our Plan for Change by kickstarting clean growth, ensuring economic stability, more resilient supply chains, and new green jobs.
Northern Ireland’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir said:“I have ambitious goals to protect our climate, drive green growth and reduce unnecessary waste. The creation of a Deposit Return Scheme plays a key part in delivering those goals.
“The introduction of the new parliamentary regulations is a significant step in that process and signals our commitment to move forward together to make those ambitions a reality.
“New legislation for England and Northern Ireland has now come into force, enabling the appointment of the scheme administrator – known as the Deposit Management Organisation – in April 2025. This will be a not-for-profit, industry-led body responsible for the administration and day-to-day running of the scheme.
With Scotland’s own regulations also progressing, this marks a major step forward for the introduction of the scheme across the three nations.
The three governments will ensure the scheme is implemented effectively, working closely with businesses to provide the infrastructure and investment to make it a success.
The Scottish Government first announced it’s intentions to introduce our own Deposit Return Scheme back in September 2017, but plans were scuppered. Holyrood has yet to comment on the UK Government’s announcement this morning.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, said:“A Deposit Return Scheme really is a silver bullet that will get plastic drinks bottles and aluminium cans out of our parks, off our streets and away from our rivers and seas.
“Depressingly we litter, burn or bury millions of drinks containers each and every day. This legislation will end all that, save the taxpayer millions in clean-up costs and give recycling a real shot in the arm.
“Backed and paid for by producers, this method of retrieval and recycling is tried and tested the world over so at Keep Britain Tidy we are putting out the bunting that this government is committed to make it happen, for us all.”
Stephen Moorhouse, Vice President and General Manager of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB Business Unit, said:“We’ve been supportive of launching a DRS across the UK for a number of years as they are a proven way of increasing recycling, reducing waste and tackling litter.
“Therefore, we welcome the clarity provided by the regulation for England and Northern Ireland and are encouraged by recent developments that will ensure an aligned scheme with Scotland, despite wider challenges around a UK-wide approach.
“Delivering to the timelines will be challenging but achievable, and now is the time for industry to roll up its sleeves to create a well-designed system that works for businesses, shoppers and the environment.”
Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said: “We are pleased to have certainty on the DRS regulations so local shops can start to prepare for October 2027 and our communities can realise the benefits of reduced litter and higher quality recycled materials.
“Now the real work begins to make the deposit return scheme a success through cross-industry partnership and a planned network of return points that work for customers.”
Sandy Luk, Chief Executive at the Marine Conservation Society, said:“Today marks a fantastic win for our seas, as MPs voted in favour of a deposit return scheme in England and Northern Ireland.
“With plans already in motion in Scotland and the Welsh Government exploring an ambitious scheme to include reuse, this is a great step towards schemes starting across the UK in October 2027.
“Last year, 97% of surveyed UK beaches were polluted with bottles and cans, posing threat to marine life like seabirds and seals. Deposit return schemes will not only boost recycling and move us towards a circular economy where nothing is thrown away but also significantly reduce this kind of beach pollution.
“We’re excited to support governments and industry in launching these schemes as soon as possible.”
Hitting this milestone is another big step forward for the Government’s collection and packaging reforms, which together will support 21,000 new jobs and stimulate more than £10 billion of investment in recycling over the next decade.
The action to clean up Britain doesn’t end there – there is more to come as the Government moves to ensure the throwaway society is ended for good.
Legislation has been laid to ban the sale of single-use vapes from 1 June 2025 and prevent the waste of precious resources – eNGO Material Focus estimates almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in 2023.
The Government has also announced that a £15 million government fund will help deliver thousands of tonnes of food from farms which would otherwise go to waste to those who need it most.
BOTANICS’ TALLEST TREE IS AMONG 15 LOST – 27 MORE DAMAGED
Botanics staff reported:
‘We’re sad to announce that #StormÉowyn has caused severe damage across our Gardens.
‘At #Edinburgh, 15 trees have been lost – either uprooted or damaged beyond recovery. This includes the Garden’s tallest tree, the 29-metre Cedrus deodara, planted in 1859.
‘A further 27 trees have been heavily damaged, and more than 100 panes of glass have been lost from our glasshouses.’
The Botanics team has initiated a major clearup programme and, despite considerable damage across the site, the popular Gardens reopened yesterday.
At 8pm tonight – 27 January – join us to Light the Darkness for #HMD2025.
On Monday, people will light candles and place them safely in their windows to remember those who were murdered for who they were, and stand against prejudice and hatred today.
Hard Rock Cafe Edinburgh invites fans to their VIP Big Game Event on Sunday, 9th February 2025, to mark this year’s Super Bowl in style.
Held in the VIP Back Room, the event will feature two Big Game screens, with festivities kicking off at 9:00 PM and running late into the night (alcohol served until 3:00 AM).
Tickets include a carefully curated game-day experience:
Four beers
One Big Game Eat and one side
Half-time Jumbo Soft Pretzel with beer cheese and mustard sauce
A Hard Rock Cafe goody bag
The Big Game menu offers classic favourites such as Classic Nachos, Signature Wings, and Loaded Tater Tots, paired with sides like Twister Mac & Cheese and Cheese & Smoked Bacon Fries.
This special event provides the ultimate setting for sports enthusiasts to enjoy the Super Bowl in a vibrant atmosphere with great food, drinks, and entertainment.
Tickets are available to book on Opentable for both general admission and the VIP event.
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