A millionaire who abused vulnerable women in his Highland lodge has lost an appeal to overturn a worldwide travel ban.

In February 2025, a civil court ruled that Kevin Booth recruited women from the UK and abroad and submitted them to violent beatings at his home in a remote area of Caithness.

He was given a ban preventing him from travelling outside the UK for five years after Police Scotland raised the civil action against him. It was the first worldwide travel ban to be imposed by a Scottish court.

Booth appealed the judgement, but the Sheriff Appeal Court refused the appeal on all grounds.

The court previously heard how Booth filmed attacks on women, including one 18-minute video of a terrified woman who tried to escape but was unable to do so.

The attack was described as being "nothing other than torture".

Police raised the action at Wick Sheriff Court to secure the travel ban under human trafficking and exploitation legislation.

Sheriff Neil Wilson agreed and passed a five-year ban prohibiting him from travelling outside the UK.

Lawyers for Booth told the Sheriff Appeal Court in Edinburgh that the sheriff had not followed legal guidelines in passing the order.

They told Sheriff Principal Gillian Wade KC, Sheriff Principal Andrew Miller and appeal sheriff Iain Fleming that Sheriff Wilson needed to state the offence that Booth was in danger of committing and argued that the order was "flawed and unlawful" because he did not.

However, in a written judgment issued by the court on Tuesday, the appeal sheriffs rejected the arguments. They said they were "satisfied" their colleague had acted correctly.

The original judgment said police told the court they could not monitor Booth when he travelled outside the UK.

They argued that the best way to minimise the risk he posed to females was to ban him from travelling outside the UK.

Sheriff Wilson wrote: "The evidence of Mr Booth's egregious conduct, as presented in court, was at times, utterly harrowing.

"The graphic video footage, combined with the context and background provided by supporting documentary evidence in various forms, was redolent of a level of cruelty and depravity which, whilst extreme, one can only hope is rare."

As well as the foreign travel ban, Booth must notify police 14 days before hiring any female employee.

Police must also be notified in advance of any female visitors to his property and officers may conduct unannounced welfare checks.

He also cannot sponsor visas for anyone other than immediate family members without police approval and must surrender his passport.