Brother of notorious crime family boss jailed for foster children abuse

The brother of a notorious Glasgow crime family boss and his wife have been sentenced to 30 months in prison for the abuse of foster children in their care.

The BBC can reveal that Douglas Daniel, 77, is the older brother of the late Jamie Daniel, who is believed by police to have led the crime clan before his death in 2016.

In January, Douglas Daniel was found guilty alongside his wife Barbara Daniel, 76, of abusing six foster children aged between four and 14 at their home in Glasgow's Parkhead between 1986 and 1991.

Victims told the court the pair, now of Kent in England, forced some children into an animal pen, ordered one to bathe in a bird bath and made another eat a cow tongue.

According to public records seen by the BBC, Douglas Daniel is the older brother of deceased gangster Jamie Daniel, who died of cancer in 2016.

Police believe Jamie Daniel was the head of an organised crime group involved in drug dealing and violence across the city for years.

The couple who have fostered about 100 children, denied the claims but were found guilty of six charges of cruel and unnatural treatment of a child at Glasgow Sheriff Court in January.

During sentencing on Monday, Sheriff Louise Arrol told them: "You robbed them of their childhood.

"You were in a position of trust, apparently safeguarding vulnerable children."

The sheriff added: "The behaviour that you engaged in towards the children in your care was cruel, degrading and humiliating."

After the initial trial, the BBC revealed that when Douglas Daniel was approved to be a foster parent in 1986, he already had 26 previous convictions - including for housebreaking and car theft.

Sheriff Arrol said: "It is quite remarkable that you were considered fit to foster any children."

During the court case, a 47-year-old man, who was placed in the Daniels' care when he was a child, told jurors that Barbara was seen as the "boss" while Douglas was a "scary physical man".

The court heard the Daniels' perpetuated emotional, physical and psychological abuse on the children - who were placed in their care as emergency placements for their safety.

Some told the court they were not fed while another claimed she ate from the kitchen floor.

Sheriff Arrol commended the bravery of the victims for coming forward.

She said: "The lifelong effect is unquantifiable. These children were in desperate need of nurture, care, and love."

"Depriving them of this has resulted in a myriad of life changes. The impact on each of them is absolutely clear."

A document seen by the BBC revealed Glasgow City Council's social work department knew of allegations against the Daniels in 1999.

A victim previously told the BBC that they felt it's a "severe failure of social work" for vulnerable children to be placed in the care of a guardian with large number of charges.

In statement after the sentencing, two of the victims said that the conviction had brought them validation but they are demanding answers over why they were placed with a foster parent who had a track record of dishonesty.

A Glasgow City council spokesperson said: "We offer our sincere apologies to anyone who experienced abuse while in local authority care.

"We expect all carers to provide a nurturing and safe environment for children and young people.

"We can however provide assurance that practice standards and foster care approval arrangements have significantly improved since the 80s and 90s, with far greater oversight and more rigorous assessments in place."

Additional reporting by Social Affairs correspondent Chris Clements