A MILLIONAIRE racing tipster has been hit with the first worldwide travel ban in Scottish legal history after torturing vulnerable women with “punishment beatings”.
Cops accused Kevin Booth, 64, of recruiting females from poor countries and abusing some of them at his remote Highland home.
Police Scotland launched civil action seeking a travel ban and said Booth was involved in trafficking[/caption]
Wick Sheriff Court heard that officers seized over 340 ‘harrowing’ videos from the lodge[/caption]
In a rare move, Police Scotland launched civil action seeking a travel ban as they said Booth was involved in the trafficking and exploitation of his victims which they couldn’t monitor if he was abroad.
Wick Sheriff Court was told officers raided Lochdhu Lodge in Altnabreac, Caithness, and seized more than 340 “harrowing” videos of the attacks.
The judgment tells how Booth was investigated for raping a woman in “his employ” in the Republic of Ireland and subsequently sought to apply financial pressure on the complainer to withdraw her allegation.
Sheriff Neil Wilson watched 13 videos filmed by Booth, and at least two of them took place in an underground lair.
Describing an 18-minute clip played to the court, Sheriff Wilson said: “This video shows the red and black metal contraption in the tomb area of Lochdhu.
“A young black woman is handcuffed to it in a kneeling position. The defender tells her she is being punished for the way she spoke to him.
“He tells her she has to learn her lesson. She appears to be terrified. She is screaming and crying.”
The Sheriff also referred to the information Detective Sergeant Christopher Hughes told the case.
The lawman added: “In his evidence, DS Hughes was taken through a considerable volume of Skype messages, the general theme of which could be summarised as outlining the defender organising travel, visas and payment for women, and subsequently arranging to meet and abuse them.
“DS Hughes characterised this course of conduct as trafficking and exploitation.”
In July 2023 cops were contacted by a former employee of Booth’s, known only as Miss J.
She said he pressured her into providing him with “sexual services” when she worked for him between June and December the previous year.
The court heard how Booth made reference in Skype chats to him sponsoring the complainer to travel from Botswana to the Republic of Ireland, “and of her not knowing that, once there, he planned to whip her”.
During their investigations, police gathered evidence which was presented in the civil action.
The court heard how the police recovered Skype messages which contained details of Booth arranging travel, visas, passports, payment and accommodation for “many women, with a view to meeting them at various locations abroad.”
The court was told that Booth’s home sits at the end of a 14-mile-long private road and can’t be accessed by public transport.
And within a building at the lodge is a trapdoor that leads to an underground chamber, which contains an empty coffin and life-sized Egyptian figures.
Sheriff Wilson imposed an order which stops him from leaving Britain for the next five years.
He said: “I had no difficulty coming to the conclusion that the defender has, consistently over many years, been engaged in a course of conduct involving the targeting of financially vulnerable women whom he subsequently coerces into submitting to abuse, and in doing so committed acts of human trafficking and exploitation.
“The evidence of Mr Booth’s egregious conduct, as presented in court, was at times, utterly harrowing.
“The graphic video footage, combined with the context and background provided by supporting documentary evidence in various forms, was redolent of a level of cruelty and depravity which, whilst extreme, one can only hope is rare.”
Detective Sergeant Chris Hughes said: “The safety of women and girls is an absolute priority for us and we sought the Trafficking and Exploitation Risk Order as an option open to us to prevent any further offending.
“Trafficking and exploitation is a blight on our communities and has no place in society and we will use all resources open to us to tackle it.”
Cops accused Booth of recruiting females and abusing some of them at his Highland home LochDhu lodge at Altnabreac[/caption]
