>#Witchcraft ring trial hears how girl was ‘put in an oven’
>__Man who exposed the alleged abuse of four children gives evidence against 11 defendants__
>Grant McCabe
>Tuesday September 12 2023, 3.40pm BST, The Times
>A girl said to be a victim of a child abuse and witchcraft ring was shut in an oven, fridge and cupboard and had “spells” put on her, a court was told.
>The child was one of four children who allegedly suffered abuse — some of which was apparently filmed. Police were alerted in 2020 when a man who knew the children reported what he had been told about the alleged abuse.
>On Tuesday he told the High Court in Glasgow that he had been “driven by his principles and conscience” to help the youngsters.
>Seven men and four women are on trial facing an indictment listing a total of 32 charges, which are alleged to have occurred in the city between January 2010 and October 2020. The allegations include rape, other sex offences, witchcraft and attempted murder.
>The witness told jurors he had got to know the children through his work and from church. The man and his wife ended up spending time in their company on different occasions.
>The court heard the man first contacted police regarding concerns about the children around March 2020, after an incident involving one of the girls when he and his wife were with her.
>He then began to document claims that a number of the children went on to make about members of the group. He sent a series of emails — shown to the court — to Police Scotland detailing accusations.
>This included a claim one of the girls was “put in an oven” and shut in. The same child was also allegedly padlocked in a fridge and put in a cupboard with “beetles and spiders in it”.
>On hearing this read back to him in court, the man said: “That is a nightmare in real time. Listening to that, it is quite distressing.”
>In a further email, the same girl was said to have stated she “did not like it when the witches pointed their wands” at her and put “spells” on the child.
>Two of the other children spoke of a group of “witches and wizards”. They were said to have been urged to join in on “occult practices”, the man said. The court also heard of a “ouija board” being used to “talk to dead people and spirits with it”.
>An email mentioned claims of “rape nights”, “dance and sex nights” as well as “dog-killing nights”. A border collie owned by one of the “coven” was among the animals said to have been cut and stabbed to death.
>A further email shown in court described in graphic detail alleged sexual abuse involving some of the children. One of the girls was reported to have said: “It is not nice when people laugh at you when you are hurting.”
>Kath Harper, for the prosecution, asked the man if the children got upset when discussing any of the accusations.
>The witness replied: “The boy did a couple of times about things that happened, but the majority of occasions it was just very much matter of fact — like replaying it in their minds, talking it over.”
>Gary Allan KC, representing Iain Owens, 45, one of the accused, later questioned the witness.
>The defence advocate put to him at one stage: “You were driven by your principles and conscience to do what you could to help them?” The witness replied he did. Allan suggested there was “no hint” of allegations of abuse or witchcraft when he first got to know the children. The man agreed that there was not.
>Iain Owens, 45, Elaine Lannery, 39, Lesley Williams, 41, Paul Brannan, 41, Marianne Gallagher, 38, Scott Forbes, 50, Barry Watson, 47, Mark Carr, 50, Richard Gachagan, 45, Leona Laing, 51, and John Clark, 47, all deny the accusations they face.
>The trial, before judge Lord Beckett, continues.
People think witchcraft isn’t a U.K. centric thing. It’s hella rampant here and comes in so many forms.
What the fuck did I just read? Who are these sick individuals? Evil people. I’m just glad at least this has been brought before a court, hope they rot in prison.
Damn, the new Hocus Pocus spinoff in Scotland is a lot darker than the original.
Not surprised to see this story initially downvoted. People dismiss the occult just as silly make-believe but there’s a reason the Nazis, with all the horrors they achieved, were so into it.
Reality is just collective perception. And collective perception is built semiotically i.e. through meaning created by symbols. Rituals involving items and activities that hold instinctive (read:irrational) symbolism such as blood and sex can warp an otherwise rational perception of the world. And with perception, then reality. It’s an incredibly dangerous thing.
This has a feeling of the ‘satanic panic’ all over again.
>Iain Owens, 45, Elaine Lannery, 39, Lesley Williams, 41, Paul Brannan, 41, Marianne Gallagher, 38, Scott Forbes, 50, Barry Watson, 47, Mark Carr, 50, Richard Gachagan, 45, Leona Laing, 51, and John Clark, 47, deny the accusations they face.
Now I know why this only has 12 comments and 7 upvotes, if only one of them was called Mohammed.
Is witchcraft as an offence still on the books in Scotland? I know it’s not in England.
Either way, this reads like a carbon copy of the satanic panic of the late eighties here. I really don’t want to live through that again.
8 comments
>#Witchcraft ring trial hears how girl was ‘put in an oven’
>__Man who exposed the alleged abuse of four children gives evidence against 11 defendants__
>Grant McCabe
>Tuesday September 12 2023, 3.40pm BST, The Times
>A girl said to be a victim of a child abuse and witchcraft ring was shut in an oven, fridge and cupboard and had “spells” put on her, a court was told.
>The child was one of four children who allegedly suffered abuse — some of which was apparently filmed. Police were alerted in 2020 when a man who knew the children reported what he had been told about the alleged abuse.
>On Tuesday he told the High Court in Glasgow that he had been “driven by his principles and conscience” to help the youngsters.
>Seven men and four women are on trial facing an indictment listing a total of 32 charges, which are alleged to have occurred in the city between January 2010 and October 2020. The allegations include rape, other sex offences, witchcraft and attempted murder.
>The witness told jurors he had got to know the children through his work and from church. The man and his wife ended up spending time in their company on different occasions.
>The court heard the man first contacted police regarding concerns about the children around March 2020, after an incident involving one of the girls when he and his wife were with her.
>He then began to document claims that a number of the children went on to make about members of the group. He sent a series of emails — shown to the court — to Police Scotland detailing accusations.
>This included a claim one of the girls was “put in an oven” and shut in. The same child was also allegedly padlocked in a fridge and put in a cupboard with “beetles and spiders in it”.
>On hearing this read back to him in court, the man said: “That is a nightmare in real time. Listening to that, it is quite distressing.”
>In a further email, the same girl was said to have stated she “did not like it when the witches pointed their wands” at her and put “spells” on the child.
>Two of the other children spoke of a group of “witches and wizards”. They were said to have been urged to join in on “occult practices”, the man said. The court also heard of a “ouija board” being used to “talk to dead people and spirits with it”.
>An email mentioned claims of “rape nights”, “dance and sex nights” as well as “dog-killing nights”. A border collie owned by one of the “coven” was among the animals said to have been cut and stabbed to death.
>A further email shown in court described in graphic detail alleged sexual abuse involving some of the children. One of the girls was reported to have said: “It is not nice when people laugh at you when you are hurting.”
>Kath Harper, for the prosecution, asked the man if the children got upset when discussing any of the accusations.
>The witness replied: “The boy did a couple of times about things that happened, but the majority of occasions it was just very much matter of fact — like replaying it in their minds, talking it over.”
>Gary Allan KC, representing Iain Owens, 45, one of the accused, later questioned the witness.
>The defence advocate put to him at one stage: “You were driven by your principles and conscience to do what you could to help them?” The witness replied he did. Allan suggested there was “no hint” of allegations of abuse or witchcraft when he first got to know the children. The man agreed that there was not.
>Iain Owens, 45, Elaine Lannery, 39, Lesley Williams, 41, Paul Brannan, 41, Marianne Gallagher, 38, Scott Forbes, 50, Barry Watson, 47, Mark Carr, 50, Richard Gachagan, 45, Leona Laing, 51, and John Clark, 47, all deny the accusations they face.
>The trial, before judge Lord Beckett, continues.
People think witchcraft isn’t a U.K. centric thing. It’s hella rampant here and comes in so many forms.
What the fuck did I just read? Who are these sick individuals? Evil people. I’m just glad at least this has been brought before a court, hope they rot in prison.
Damn, the new Hocus Pocus spinoff in Scotland is a lot darker than the original.
Not surprised to see this story initially downvoted. People dismiss the occult just as silly make-believe but there’s a reason the Nazis, with all the horrors they achieved, were so into it.
Reality is just collective perception. And collective perception is built semiotically i.e. through meaning created by symbols. Rituals involving items and activities that hold instinctive (read:irrational) symbolism such as blood and sex can warp an otherwise rational perception of the world. And with perception, then reality. It’s an incredibly dangerous thing.
This has a feeling of the ‘satanic panic’ all over again.
>Iain Owens, 45, Elaine Lannery, 39, Lesley Williams, 41, Paul Brannan, 41, Marianne Gallagher, 38, Scott Forbes, 50, Barry Watson, 47, Mark Carr, 50, Richard Gachagan, 45, Leona Laing, 51, and John Clark, 47, deny the accusations they face.
Now I know why this only has 12 comments and 7 upvotes, if only one of them was called Mohammed.
Is witchcraft as an offence still on the books in Scotland? I know it’s not in England.
Either way, this reads like a carbon copy of the satanic panic of the late eighties here. I really don’t want to live through that again.