Scottish pedophile released in Albania after 13 years. The British press: his future uncertain

David Brown, 69, was released from the 302 Mine Peza high-security prison in Tirana on Friday, his friends in Scotland said.

He was jailed in 2008 with a 20-year sentence, but his sentence was reduced for good behavior.

Supporters of Mr. Brown had hoped for his release before now after allegations that the two boys who testified against him were "forced and corrupted" to give false evidence against him.

Andon Qoshlli and Denis Aliu said in 2017 that they had been pressured to make false statements by police and a psychologist.

Supporters of Mr. Brown have continued to claim his innocence and campaign for his release. It is said that he chose to serve his sentence in Albania and not in the United Kingdom as he wanted to stay and continue to try to clear his name.

Brown's lawyer, Gjystina Golloshi, says he will be deported to Britain but will continue to try to clear his name in Albanian courts.

It has been hinted he could be back as early as Monday.

Brown worked with children for 25 years in Scotland and was a member of the Child Panel. He traveled to Albania in 200 to help refugees fleeing war-torn Kosovo and later set up an orphanage.

Ten boys, aged between 4 and 13, told police they had been sexually abused by one or more of the three Britons in the orphanage in 2006. Pedophiles previously convicted, Dino Christodoulou and Robin Arnold, were extradited to the UK and condemned.

Mike Taylor of the Edinburgh-based Scottish Children’s Mission has known Bro for almost 30 years and has worked with him in Scotland in the past.

He said Brown had been "betrayed" before his sentencing.

"I am amazed on a personal level that he has maintained faith despite everything that has happened," he said.

Taylor described his friend as "almost a Christmas Grandpa-type figure".

"The kids automatically liked it," he said.

"He has always worked with young people for many years. He went to Albania to build a house - he saw the children on the street and just wanted to provide them with a house, he saw the abandoned children and wanted to help them.

"I went there when he had just started and I remember one of the guys who told me he owed David his life because he had saved him from the road."

Taylor said he was pleased to hear the news of the release, but was unsure of Brown's future anyway.

"I'm relieved for him, absolutely," he said.

"I'm very happy that he was able to be released, but I also feel that he has not yet been able to clear his name, which of course is what he wants to do.

"That's really why he stayed there and did not return to Britain because he wants to clear his name. The lawsuits take months and years."

* Retrieved from Edinburgh news

Adapted by Politiko.al