James Rennie and Neil Strachan, two of Scotland’s most notorious convicted paedophiles, have been observed walking freely in Edinburgh while staying at the same hostel during extended leave from prison.
Both were imprisoned in 2009 for leading Scotland’s largest paedophile ring, involving eight members and 125,000 child abuse images. Rennie, 54, was convicted of abusing a three-month-old baby, and Strachan, 57, attempted to rape an 18-month-old. Strachan also has a prior conviction from 1997 for child abuse and is HIV positive.
Originally sentenced to 16 and 13 years respectively, appeal courts reduced their sentences to nine and eight-and-a-half years. The current arrangement, believed to be part of their reintegration into society, allows week-long stays at the Crane Hostel, just 0.7 miles from a primary school. Their presence has sparked public outrage and criticism from politicians, with concerns raised over public safety and the justice system’s handling of such high-risk offenders.
Critics argue this approach overlooks victims’ rights in favour of offenders. The Scottish Prison Service stated that any home leave is preceded by stringent multi-agency risk assessments, yet the situation continues to generate serious public concern.