Neil Strachan, identified as one of Britain's most notorious child abusers, has been released from prison on license. Strachan, 58, was jailed along with James Rennie, a former adviser to the Scottish National Party (SNP) on child sex issues, as part of a child abuse network.
Rennie, 54, was released earlier. He is a former chief executive of the LGBTQ+ charity LGBT Youth Scotland. Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Stephen Kerr expressed strong disapproval of Strachan's release, stating, "This is a truly sickening and the public need absolute assurances he will be monitored relentlessly for the rest of his life."
Strachan, who was convicted of attempting to rape an 18-month-old boy and downloading child abuse images, had been held at Castle Huntly open prison near Dundee. The pair, both from Edinburgh, were serving sentences that were reduced to eight-and-a-half and nine years, respectively. Strachan was originally ordered to serve a minimum of 16 years, but his sentence was reduced to nine years by appeal judges in 2011.
Rennie was jailed for molesting the toddler son of friends. The child Strachan attempted to rape was not the same child Rennie targeted.
Both men were made subject to Orders for Lifelong Restriction, meaning they can only be released if deemed safe by the Parole Board and will remain on license for the rest of their lives. A spokesperson for the Scottish Prison Service declined to comment on individual prisoners.