Education Secretary Mairi McAllan has said she “fundamentally disagrees” with the suggestion that there were no catastrophic failings in the so-called Beastie House abuse case.
The comments come after an email exchange between McAllan and Glasgow Council chief executive Susanne Millar – who held senior social work roles during the period when staff failed to intervene – was published.
In the exchange, McAllan said there had been a “catastrophic failure of the system which was suppose to protect” the children involved. In her response, Millar said the report “at no point” concludes “there were catastrophic failures”, adding such suggestions were neither “helpful or accurate”.
Convictions and review findings
Two women and five men were all convicted of gang-raping a child and abusing other children, and given sentences of between eight and 20 years before they can apply for parole. Iain Owens, 46; Elaine Lannery, 40; Lesley Williams, 43; Paul Brannan, 42; Scott Forbes, 51; Barry Watson, 48; and John Clark, 48, were convicted in November 2023 following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
Four of the group – Owens, Lannery, Brannan and Williams – were found guilty of attempting to murder a child by pushing them into a microwave and trapping them in other places.
A review of the case found social work staff had repeatedly failed to thoroughly investigate abuse and neglect of several children between 2012 and 2019. This was despite mounting evidence over more than a decade, including adults around them taking drugs, several children missing multiple teeth at a young age and reports the children were dirty and smelled like urine.
McAllan's response
McAllan was asked by the Press Association if Millar should quit or be sacked given her response to the failings. “I have no say over who is the chief executive of a council,” she said. “But what I have been absolutely clear on is that I fundamentally disagree with the idea that it wasn’t a catastrophic failure, it was my coining of that phrase in the first place to make clear how strongly I felt about it that Ms Millar responded to.”
The Education Secretary added: “The Family C review was one of the first pieces of work that I read when I was appointed as Education Secretary and I wrote very quickly to Susanne Millar, being a leading actor in Glasgow City Council. I was very clear that, in my view, it was a catastrophic failure. I don’t think anybody could read that review and conclude that it was anything else, given what those children went through in each party of it.”
“It’s up to Susanne Millar to account for how she describes it and I know that she has made a statement in that regard. For my part, I’m interested in everybody working together to make sure that what was a catastrophic failure, cannot happen again. I should say, Susanne Millar’s got considerable experience in social work, so I think she’s a helpful contributor to that.”
Millar's statement and political reaction
In a statement to PA, Millar said she “regrets” the wording used in the email to McAllan. “This case was shocking and one of the most distressing either I or anyone else who has engaged with it have ever encountered,” she said. “I’m clear that the independent review’s findings demand a meaningful response from all of the various agencies involved. However, my choice of words has given a different impression, which I regret.”
Scottish Labour MP Joani Reid said: “Too many people have spent far too long trying to deny or downplay the scale of organised child abuse in Scotland. The SNP and Scottish Government spent months resisting well-grounded demands for an inquiry, and now we are seeing a Scottish government Minister and the Chief Executive of Scotland’s biggest council arguing over the wording of a letter.
“While they squabble over details, we should not lose sight of what this is really about: children who were failed and left at the mercy of horrific abuse. They should both be ashamed.”
