Campaigners Unknowingly Preserve Building Linked to Notorious Criminal
A historic Victorian sawmill in Glasgow has been preserved following a political campaign, with politicians only later discovering the building housed a sex club favoured by convicted serial rapist and murderer Iain Packer.
Building Saved from Demolition
The City Sawmills in Glasgow's Port Dundas area, founded by James Brownlee in 1848 and once Scotland's largest timber merchant firm, faced demolition to make way for 60 new flats. Plans were first established in 2022 until Glasgow City Council issued a preservation order.
Weiss Development Company Ltd appealed the decision twice, but both attempts were unsuccessful, with Historic Environment Scotland and the Court of Session blocking the demolition in 2024.
Political Intervention
MSP Paul Sweeney campaigned heavily to stop the demolition, describing the building as 'a good surviving example of a late 19th century industrial office building' and expressing pleasure that 'an important piece of Glasgow's heritage has been preserved for future generations to enjoy.'
However, Mr Sweeney admitted he was unaware of the building's current use during his campaign, stating: 'When I first heard that the building was to be knocked down to make way for flats, I wasn't aware there was a so-called adult club operating in there. It's just one of those things - what can you do?'
Dark Connection Revealed
The building houses CJ's sex club, which features eight 'playrooms' including a 'fully equipped dungeon' and hosts what the BBC describes as 'friendly and relaxed' parties with refreshments.
Last year, it emerged that serial rapist Iain Packer had attended adult parties at the venue. Packer was convicted in 2024 of murdering 27-year-old Emma Caldwell, who disappeared from Glasgow city centre in April 2005 and whose body was found weeks later by a dog walker.
Packer received a 36-year prison sentence after being found guilty of Emma's murder and 32 other charges involving 22 women, including 11 rapes and multiple sexual assaults. The case remained unsolved for decades until a journalist interviewed Packer in 2018 after police had questioned him, though he initially denied involvement.
Campaigners had no knowledge of the building's connection to Packer or its use as a sex club during their preservation efforts, creating an unexpected juxtaposition between heritage conservation and criminal association.
