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	How Did They Gat Away with It? By Catriona Stewart Sunday Herald May 10, 2009 http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2507207.0.how_did_they_gat_away_with_it.php THEY LURKED behind a veneer of middle-class respectability, hiding their crimes from the communities which trusted them. On Thursday, eight men involved in one of Scotland's worst paedophile rings were convicted in one the most heinous abuse cases in British history. Now Lothian and Borders Police are to launch a probe into how the ringleader, Neil Strachan, slipped through the net to keep preying on children and babies despite having two previous convictions for abusing young boys and being on the sex offenders' register - and supposedly under police supervision. The case has raised concerns that the register is ineffectual as a monitoring system and prompted calls to expand it into cyberspace, so police can monitor known offenders' online activities. Tory MSP Bill Aitken said the fact Strachan was known to police raised huge concerns over the effectiveness of the register, and that the propensity of sex offenders to re-offend was a sign that tighter measures must be put in place. Aitken said: "The internet has been a great benefit but it has not come without its problems and this case highlights some of them. I do think there is a strong case for making it a condition of release on licence for those convicted of child sexual offences to have to register their email addresses or any such internet names with police." Created in September 1997, the sex offenders' register contains details of anyone convicted, cautioned or released from prison for a sexual offence. This includes rape and abuse of children as well as consensual sex between underage teenagers or urinating in the street. All convicted sex offenders must register with police within three days of their conviction or release from jail. During their time on the register, which is determined by a judge, offenders must tell police if they change their name or address, and inform them if they spend more than seven days away from home. Police can also apply for sex offender orders that bar offenders from activities and areas that would give them access to children. High-risk offenders may be tagged and given licence conditions. However, offenders are only placed on the register for life if they are given a jail sentence of more than 30 months. Child protection charity Stop It Now! has criticised the register for allowing some offenders to slip through the net because their jail terms are not long enough for them to be on the list for life. Last year Strathclyde Police issued details of paedophile former police officer Martin Cusick, who had gone missing in Glasgow in 2005. He was eventually tracked down in Canada. Murderer Peter Tobin was also on the sex offenders' register, but evaded police and went underground for almost a year before killing Polish student, Angelika Kluk in Glasgow in 2006. He has also been convicted of killing schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton in 1991 in Bathgate. Recent figures show there are 3000 registered sex offenders in Scotland. Glasgow has 430, and as of March this year, 1182 sex offenders were living in the Strathclyde Police force area. Strathclyde Police also publish monthly figures on how many sex offenders are living in their jurisdiction but do not give details of exactly where. However, the internet has given paedophiles unprecedented access to children and other paedophiles. A spokesman from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) said: "The internet gives paedophiles access to children in a way like never before, through social networks, email and chat rooms. It is also a way for paedophiles to network with other paedophiles. "The internet does not create paedophiles, though. It just provides an opportunity." But, he added: "Everything you do on the internet leaves a digital footprint and law enforcement will follow those and track you down." Strachan was free to work at Celtic East Boys' Club in the 1990s, despite being convicted of molesting a young boy almost a decade earlier. The 41-year-old, who is facing a possible life sentence after being convicted of molesting an 18-month-old toddler, was convicted at Linlithgow Sheriff Court in 1985 of abusing a boy but went on to be secretary of the Edinburgh club in 1995. He later served three years in jail for indecently assaulting another boy and was put on the sex offenders' register. Other members of the ring, John Murphy, 31, and Neil Campbell, 46, both worked with children, but neither had any previous offences. Murphy, from Glasgow, worked as a drama teacher at Claremont High School in East Kilbride after being caught having a homosexual threesome in Glasgow city centre. He was struck off by the General Teaching Council but this was overturned by the Court of Session and he went on to teach at a college. Campbell, an elder of Jordanhill Parish Church who worked at an after-school club and performed with Sunday School in nativity plays, underwent Disclosure Scotland checks but his clean record allowed him access to children. The same was true of mainplayer James Rennie, 38, who had been a teacher and was the chief executive of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth Scotland when he was caught. The justice secretary, Kenny MacAskill, said the case, uncovered in Lothian and Borders' Operation Albegra, highlighted the fact many child abusers are not convicted sex offenders. He added: "Scotland has the most robust child protection inspection regime in the UK and we're continuing to strengthen our systems for safeguarding children. The offences in this case pre-date some of the key reforms already now in place. "The police have rightly undertaken a joint review of the management of the individual who had previous sex offence convictions, working with health and social work agencies, to identify what lessons may be learned for the future." A spokesman for the charity Children 1st said: "The sex offenders' register can create a false sense of security and people who abuse children are very devious. We need to look at what other measures are in place to prevent offenders re-offending, including their internet activity."
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