Police Scotland caught fundraising for pro-trans group it is investigating

LGBT police and staff in Scotland have been fundraising for a controversial group under investigation for child sexual exploitation, a political blogger Guido Fawkes has revealed.

Guido published a Scottish LGBTI Police Association tweet which boasted its members had “been busy” asking for donations in support of LGBT Youth Scotland (LGBTYS).

In December, LGBTYS referred itself to Police Scotland over grooming allegations made by two individuals who accessed its programmes as vulnerable young people.

Compromised

Backing the pro-trans organisation’s annual appeal, the Association stated, “Our members have been running, walking, cycling, skating & donating” for LGBTYS.

The influential political website accused LGBT officers of being more interested in showing support for the group than “offering an update on their ongoing inquiries into the case of a charity worker suspended over abuse claims”.

It suggested the force had been compromised by Scottish LGBTI Police Association fundraising for LGBTYS “while also dealing with complaints about and conducting an investigation” into it.

In January, Sam Cowie accused an LGBTYS youth worker of giving him a fake ID and taking him to gay nightclubs as a 16-year-old, which led to him being raped and exposed to drugs. According to The Telegraph, the man remains the “key youth worker” for an LGBTYS group for 13 to 25-year-olds in west Scotland.

Complaint

Last year, LGBTYS was also reported to the charity watchdog for allegedly sharing information on chest binding with a child.

Safeguarding Our Schools Scotland raised a complaint with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, claiming that a worker for LGBTYS had promoted chest binders to a vulnerable young person via its chatroom.

According to The Times, the child asked for the link to be sent in the chat, rather than by email, so that it would not be found by their parent.