SNP’s soft justice in the spotlight: Murderous rapist released in custody

The SNP’s soft-touch approach to justice is in the spotlight after a killer rapist was allowed to walk the streets at large while awaiting trial for his sadistic crime. Cameron Allan was free on bail for more than two years before being convicted of the barbaric rape and murder of a young father.

Calum Simpson, 24, was abused at a house party by Allan and his partner Dylan Brister. They drugged and tied him up before filming their sadistic sexual abuse as he lay dying. His family have criticised the fact that one of the killers was granted freedom in the years before his trial.

We previously reported that Allan was charged with holding up a sign reading “Behead all the terfs” while on bail during a pro-trans rally in January last year. He was also convicted of disturbing the peace for frightening a hotel worker in Dunfermline by asking her to take part in a porn film he was allegedly making with another man.

The heartbroken family of victim Calum have raised questions about why he was allowed to roam the streets after the murder. Speaking to our sister paper the Sunday Mail, his mother Sheree said: “I will never be the same person again. A part of me died that day.

READ MORE: Despite terrible childhood, teenage knife murderer in Glasgow receives lesser sentence

“When I see his children now, they look so much like him and that gives me strength, but I can’t accept that my boy is gone. The fact that they were in the community and could do that… I don’t understand it. The fact that one of them wasn’t even locked up when the trial took place was horrific. When I heard that they were convicted and that they were handcuffed, I just broke down.”

Bobbie Cowan, 26, the mother of Calum’s three children, added: “The one who was outside – that’s been on my mind for the last few years. We have no idea why he was released and not in custody. He was able to come in and out of court because he was out on bail and that was really tough. If there hadn’t been a police officer there, we would have been bumping into him constantly during the trial.”

Allan and Brister drugged and raped Calum at a party on November 2 and 3, 2021. They filmed the attack on their mobile phones. The judge described the evidence as “the most harrowing this court has ever had to hear.”

The 21-year-old was not even taken into custody after he was initially charged and appeared in court on February 1, 2022 for murder. He reoffended on February 16 when he horrified a hotel worker in Dunfermline, for which he received a community fine and 18 months’ probation.

He was also accused of holding up an offensive “Behead all Terfs” sign at a pro-trans rally in Glasgow in January 2023, a crime police say they have not yet solved, despite Allan’s name being referred to them repeatedly and Tory MP Murdo Fraser asking for answers about the incident.

The MP for Mid Scotland and Fife said: “Shortly after I reported this protester to the police, people contacted me saying it was a man called Cameron Allan who was known to the police. I did not give the name ‘Cameron Allan’ to the police, but I have heard other people have.”

“The police later said they were unable to identify the person in the photograph. It is quite clear that it is him. If they had been given his name, I am sure they would have gone and questioned him. If they had not done so, it would have been a serious dereliction of duty, particularly as he was out on bail for murder.

“The fact that this is a person who is already out on bail and has been charged with a gruesome murder charge raises the question of what on earth the police were up to that they did not take immediate and serious action against this person. The other aspect is, why was someone who was out on bail for murder allowed to continue to be out on bail and reoffend despite already having another conviction?”

Police Scotland did not respond to questions about whether Allan had been questioned or was a suspect in the offensive banner case, but confirmed the case was still open.

A spokesman for the Scottish Department of Justice said: “In deciding whether or not to grant bail to an accused in a particular case, members of the judiciary follow the legal criteria set out by Parliament, taking into account any relevant previous convictions, submissions by the defence and any objections by the Crown which may justify a refusal of bail.”

“Each case depends on the specific facts and circumstances and, of course, the decision can be appealed by the Crown or the defence.”

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