To wonder why Glasgow Satantic ring isn't headline news?!

[CoastalWave]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-62384842

Not often i'm speechless.

How is this buried within the news?! Should this not be headline?

It's beyond disturbing.

Those poor children

If it is a case not due to come to trial until next year then not much can be said about it so as not to prejudice the trial/ influence possible jurors . The more idle gossip and speculation there is the more chance of the accused being able to claim the trial is unfair.

Also glasgow based and hadn’t heard of it until today on social media- Ive had the radio on all day! Why is this being hidden

Possibly they are devotees of the “redemption through sin” belief system. Not very well known but definitely a feature of many prominent people in society. Chilling. And perhaps why it’s not more ‘headline’ news.

In what way is it being 'hidden'?

It's being reported on one of the most prominent websites in UK media. Whoever is allegedly trying to 'hide' it is doing a shit-awful job.

It's not even at trial stage yet. The TV and radio media do not, as a rule, run a bulletin headline piece every time someone in Scotland is charged with a criminal offence. Perhaps it's only 'hidden' in the sense that your expectation to have heard about this on the radio is completely misguided?

Something like this was investigated in the 1980s/90s in the north of England. Both police and social workers were sure it was true. It turned out to be totally unsubstantiated and when the evidence was really examined, it just sort of crumbled away.
Let's hope this is similar otherwise those poor children and animals.

Because that's not how the statutory offence is worded, no matter how society might feel about it morally.

This is court reporting, they can't go off piste as it can be deemed to be prejudicing a fair trial. And prejudicing them is how trials have collapsed in the past.

it was one of the only articles that was closed to comments.
This is because it's an active court case. It's standard practice where proceedings are ongoing. Proceedings are active from first appearance on indictment through to conclusion of trial.

It's to prevent people who think accused equals guilty making comments that prejudice a fair trial and the proceedings potentially collapsing as a result.

It's not fishy at all. You can't name children in court proceedings and they children are not the accused, therefore the adults are accused of inciting them.

It seems that 5 of the 11 accused have died by suicide since the arrests were made last year.

Whereas in England the last prosecution was in 1944.

The satanic thing is a red herring.

This is a child abuse 'ring' sadly like many more.

I think people shouldn't be distracted by or focus on the so called witchcraft thing.

Oh for gods sake ive heard it all now on mumsnet. I know the snp and nicola sturgeon are utterly vilified on here but blaming them for something that happened in 1727 is really pushing it 🤣🤣

Sometimes this site is baffling.

How is Earth is something that’s being reported by the BBC, and multiple others, being “hushed up”?

And how are so many people so unaware of how things work that basics such as comments being closed seem suspicious?

Not to mention the fact that details are limited because they’ve not been to court yet and to protect the identities of the children.

The bloodthirst for details that is so prevalent now is one day going to destroy a trial and see someone guilty of something awful walk free. I’m convinced of it.

Also kids don't fit in microwaves.

They said it was a newborn. Presumably forcefully folded into unnatural shapes. They also said it didn't work, just that they tried to.

I'm also fairly sure I've heard of this happening in America with a baby. Of course older children don't fit in microwaves.

I'm a media relations specialist and I've worked as a press officer in the criminal justice system so I'll share my professional perspective on this.

It's worth noting that although charges have been brought, the actual trial won't start for at least a year, so all reporting at this stage has to be very, very careful and limited to certain information, to avoid prejudicing the trial. What's been reported so far is literally all that can be said at this stage - this is the very earliest point in the proceedings and they can't really report anything more now until the trial starts, which will be September 2023 at the earliest according to the article. It's when the trial starts that the story becomes bigger news. Technically, that is when it becomes 'in the public interest' to cover it more extensively.

I suspect that when the case actually comes to court next year, it will be covered a lot more extensively in all the press, and even more so of course if the defendants are found guilty.

I understand your point because it's an extremely shocking and lurid set of allegations, but it has been reported factually in all the major news outlets and with my professional hat on, I'd it's had pretty much the amount and type of coverage that I would expect at this very early stage in the proceedings. I think there will definitely be a lot more when there's more that the press can actually say.

It's because of this kind of speculation that the press have to close comments on their stories about court cases. It's not helpful and it can be prejudicial.

Me too. Disgusting of them.

I've just made a complaint online to the BBC.

It's the same as people using the phrase 'child porn' instead of child abuse pictures / videos.

Completely minimises sexual abuse and rape of children.

What, unironically?

This is really bizarre. How can a child fit in a microwave. Most of my plates can’t.

what this is is a drug filled peadophile ring.

so what kind of satanists put horns on their head? What do they mean by “witchcraft”? This sounds like so drugged up paedos playing dress up or someone feeding the kids things to do in some attempt to reignite the satanic panic. Watch the Paradise Lost films or more recently and the fictional equivalent in stranger things

As someone who is into the occult:western esotericism even today it’s not uncommon to feel persecution, people don’t understand it and either ridicule or paint it as evil when nothing could be further from the truth. People doing yoga don’t get this

@wellhelloitsme as pointed out before this is almost always down to the wording of the statutory offence with which the accused is charged. The journalist is not at liberty to state it's rape when that's not what the accused has been charged with 🙄

They can say child abuse then, no?

That's highly preferable to the phrase 'child sex'.

Not sure if the eye roll was directed at me but if it was I'm not sure why!

I knew what you were getting at, bellac.

@wellhelloitsme no they can't. That's not what the statutory offence and at this point it's an allegation

I don't understand why the phrase "child abuse" couldn't have been used in the headline, when the body copy clearly states that they are charged with "abusing three young children".

It says:

"Seven men and four women are charged with abusing three young children in Glasgow during a 10-year period."

Ethnicity? With surnames like Brannan, Forbes and Clark, all of which are perfectly 'white' Scottish surnames?

Oh, that wasn't what you meant, though, was it?