All the victims were of school-going age. (Representational Pic)
The police in Scotland have arrested 11 people who ran a child sex abuse ring, Sky News reported. Seven members of the "paedophile gang" - five men and two women - have been found guilty of posing as "witches and wizards" and supplying drugs in a locality in Glasgow, the outlet further said. The UK's leading children's charity National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) called it "one of the worst cases in recent decades". The victims have dubbed the place a "beasty house".
The seven people found guilty by the Glasgow High Court are Iain Owens, Elaine Lannery, Lesley Williams, Paul Brannan, Barry Watson, John Clark and Scott Forbes.
They all denied committing the most serious sex crimes against the youngsters who the beasts accused of lying in a bid to persuade the jury of their innocence.
The trial went on for more than two months during which the children said they were forced to drink alcohol and consume cocaine while being subjected to a campaign of sexual depravity, including group rapes.
The brutal violence and depravity continued between 2012 and 2020, Sky News further said
Older children were forced to abuse a younger child during prolonged attacks, referred to in court as "child rape nights". The victims said money was exchanged after the sex attacks as all the offenders laughed.
Seven people were charged with multiple offences, but three others were acquitted of all counts, while an eleventh accused, Marianne Gallagher, was convicted of assault but cleared of all other charges and given bail, a report in Independent said.
The court was told that five members of the group made a child dress in lingerie and "dance in sexualised manner" on various occasions between October 1, 2018, and June 19, 2019.
The jurors were also told that the female members of the group clapped, cheered and encouraged the abuse instead of intervening to protect the school-aged children.