Kevin Booth Receives Historic Global Travel Ban After Torturing Women in Remote Scottish Lodge.
In a landmark decision, Kevin Booth has been handed the first worldwide travel ban in Scottish legal history after a harrowing court case revealed his horrifying pattern of abuse.
Booth, a man who used a remote Scottish lodge to lure women from both the UK and abroad, subjected them to violent beatings, filmed the assaults, and later used them to serve his twisted desires.
The case, which has stunned the public, highlights the disturbing lengths to which Booth went to exploit and control his victims.
A Remote Location of Horror: Lochdhu Lodge and Its Underground Chamber
Booth’s abuse occurred at Lochdhu Lodge, situated in Altnabreac, Caithness, a location so isolated it is not accessible by public transport.
The lodge’s underground chamber, accessed via a trapdoor, was a chilling setting for his sadistic actions. According to the court, the chamber featured a 60-meter long curved concrete tunnel with unsettling items, including a coffin, life-sized Egyptian figures, and a metal bench. This disturbing environment set the stage for the brutality that would unfold.
Filming the Torture: Victims Caught in Booth's Web
Wick Sheriff Court heard shocking details about the extent of Booth’s cruelty. He was not just physically abusing his victims; he filmed the assaults, capturing the terror and agony of women trapped in his control.
One of the videos shown in court involved a young black woman who was handcuffed to a metal bench in the chamber. The video played in court showed the woman, visibly terrified, screaming and crying as Booth continued to beat her.
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Sheriff Neil Wilson described the video as “nothing other than torture.” In the footage, Booth taunts his victim, telling her she must learn a lesson for the way she spoke to him.
“She is hysterical. She cries out that it is painful,” the sheriff wrote, adding, “This continues for the duration of the video: 18 minutes.” This disturbing glimpse into the abuse reflected just a fraction of the abuse Booth inflicted over years.
The History of Abuse and Human Trafficking
Booth’s pattern of behavior, which spanned from 1998 to December 2022, involved recruiting vulnerable women, both from the UK and abroad, isolating them at Lochdhu Lodge, and subjecting them to violent, sometimes sexual, abuse. T
he court heard that Booth had a history of recruiting women from countries like South Africa, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Dubai, where he would pay for their travel and then abuse them once they were isolated and under his control.
Lawyers representing Police Scotland presented evidence of a “consistent course of conduct,” with Booth coercing his victims into acts of sexual violence and exploitation. “The evidence of Mr Booth’s egregious conduct, as presented in court, was at times, utterly harrowing,” Sheriff Wilson remarked.
The Global Travel Ban: A Historic Legal Step
Following the presentation of overwhelming evidence, Sheriff Wilson imposed a travel ban on Booth, marking the first time such an order had been issued in Scotland.
The travel ban restricts Booth from leaving the UK for five years, preventing him from further exploiting women abroad. He must surrender his passport and notify the police at least 14 days in advance before hiring any female employee.
Moreover, police will conduct unannounced welfare checks at Booth’s properties, and he is required to notify authorities of any female visitors. This unprecedented legal action serves as a powerful message in the fight against human trafficking and the abuse of vulnerable women.
A Case of Escalating Violence and Cruelty
Booth’s brutal actions weren’t limited to his time in Scotland. Detective Sergeant Christopher Hughes, who investigated the case, uncovered evidence of Booth traveling to various countries to exploit women.
"Mr Booth regularly travelled abroad, where he recruits economically vulnerable women from poor countries, arranges and pays for them to travel to a variety of countries, in particular South Africa, Dubai, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines," Hughes said.
Booth was also found to have a chilling penchant for filming his assaults, seizing hundreds of videos showing him inflicting pain on his victims.
“A consistent feature of these assaults is that the defender takes pleasure in assaulting his victims, justifies them as ‘punishment beatings’ for minor real or imagined infringements,” Sheriff Wilson explained.
The Aftermath: A Case That Shines a Light on Human Trafficking
This case not only exposes the horrifying abuse perpetrated by Booth but also highlights the urgent need to address human trafficking and the exploitation of vulnerable women.
With women being recruited from around the world and subjected to unimaginable abuse, this case serves as a stark reminder of the prevalence of trafficking networks and the lengths traffickers will go to maintain control.
Booth’s global travel ban is just one step in a broader effort to prevent further exploitation. Authorities are hopeful that such legal actions will deter others who may attempt to exploit vulnerable individuals and use them for personal gain.
