Barry Watson

Barry Watson was one of six individuals convicted in 2023 of serious child sex offences as members of a paedophile ring operating in a Glasgow drugs den, where three children were abused amid the use of heroin and cocaine.

The convictions, handed down at the High Court in Glasgow, involved a string of sex crimes including rape and sexual abuse. Allegations of Satanic rituals were part of the trial but were subsequently dropped by the prosecution, and all accused were acquitted of a related dog-killing charge. Watson, along with co-accused Iain Owens, Elaine Lanney, John Clark, Paul Brannan, and Scott Forbes, faces sentencing later this month for their roles in the abuse.

• The group was found guilty of abusing three children in a drugs den environment.
• Offences included gang rape and other forms of sexual abuse.

While specific details of Watson's individual actions were not detailed in the risk assessment hearing focused on Owens, the collective convictions highlight the organised nature of the ring. The case underscores the severe risks posed by such groups, as evidenced by expert testimony in related proceedings describing high risks of future sexual violence among the convicted.

Source: Stirling News, based on PA News Agency reporting and Police Scotland imagery from the High Court in Glasgow, 6th January 2024.