By Cara Sulieman COMEDIAN Simon Pegg is poised to star in a film about infamous Scots murderers Burke and Hare. Since the film was announced last year, actors such as Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell have all been tipped for the lead roles. But director John Landis – famous for horror films such as An [...]
By Rory Reynolds VETERAN Scottish Labour politician Malcolm Chisholm MSP shocked spectators at Holyrood yesterday by turning on his own party during a live debate on the decision to release the Lockerbie bomber. Chisholm commended Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill’s actions in freeing Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi – saying he appreciated the level of pressure the [...]
By Rory Reynolds POLICE are hunting a man in connection with the disappearance of a 25-year-old woman more than a year ago. Lothian and Borders Police have released CCTV footage of Samantha Wright walking down Hanover Street in Edinburgh with a bald middle-aged man on 12 June 2008 at around 8.55pm. A police spokesperson said [...]
By Rory Reynolds HERO firefighter Ewan Williamson is to be honoured at the annual International Firefighters’ Service of Remembrance. Many of Ewan’s friends, colleagues and family members – along with firefighters from across the world – will attend the event in London next month. The 35-five-year-old tragically died while rescuing 20 people who were trapped [...]
By Rory Reynolds A YOUNG man was airlifted to hospital following a freak accident on St Andrews Pier in Fife. The man – a French national – fell from the pier at 1pm on Saturday afternoon suffering injuries to his head, back and limbs. A Forth Coastguard spokesman confirmed that they had pulled the man [...]
By Michael MacLeod A GYM coach accused of abusing pupils as young as 10 says child protection rules are “draconian.” Trampoline teacher Mitchell Dolphin, 51, claims he had “perfectly legitimate reasons” for massaging young girls’ legs with oil and allowing them to sit on his knee while he cuddled them. But he told a court [...]
By Oliver Farrimond EDINBURGH’s hellish tram system has been a thorn in the side of the Capital’s motorists for more than 100 years, according to recently unearthed documents. In an eerie echo of modern disruption, drivers on Princes Street in 1897 faced a fine of up to 40 shillings – £130 in today’s money – [...]
By Paul Thornton and Michael MacLeod A TAXI driver who left a teenager for dead after mowing him down on a zebra crossing has been jailed. Horrified medics found Scott Burnett, 17, lying in the road with tyre marks across his body from where the seven-seater cab had broken his pelvis. Cabbie David Horsburgh, 44, [...]
By Oliver Farrimond PAMPERED prisoners at high-security Saughton jail in Edinburgh are claiming hundreds of pounds in compensation for goods going missing behind bars – at the expense of the taxpayer. Designer jeans, Playstation 2 controllers and a £150 suit were among the items claimed for by inmates after going missing during prison transfers. In [...]
By Alexander Lawrie RENOWNED actor Joss Ackland captivated his audience when he appeared at the Edinburgh Book Festival yesterday. Ackland, 81, was reading from his moving and poignant memoir which covers his 50-year relationship with his wife Rosemary who passed away in 2002. After Rosemary’s death, Ackland discovered her diaries which she had been writing [...]
By Alexander Lawrie AN EX-PROFESSIONAL footballer has escaped being struck from the nursing register despite being found guilty of punching a mentally-ill care home patient so severely he was left “screaming in pain”. James Lamb, 60, from Kirkintilloch, was working as a staff nurse at the Eastercroft House Care Home in Caldercruix near Airdrie, Lanarkshire, [...]
By Rory Reynolds A TOP US diet expert has blasted the Prime Minister’s anti-obesity campaign – because he is too fat himself. Author Steve Siebold – who has received death threats for telling people they’re too tubby – reckons that Brown should shed the pounds before lecturing people on their weight. He said: “When someone [...]
By Rory Reynolds SCOTS tennis ace Andy Murray has a new incentive to win the US Open – he could be eating sushi off a naked Japanese model. The world No.2’s pals have promised to send him to a Flash Sushi evening – a rare Japanese dining practice involving 10 courses of fishy rice and [...]
By Paul Thornton SCOTTISH asthma sufferers are being let down by health officials over swine advice, a charity has claimed. Asthma UK Scotland said it had been inundated with calls from worried parents who are unsure if Tamiflu is safe for children with asthma. The organisation said despite fears that people with asthma are more [...]
By Paul Thornton OLYMPIC hero Sir Chris Hoy has revealed how he uses rock music to get himself going for races. Sir Chris – who took three gold medals in Beijing last year – said he is a big fan of rockers the Foo Fighters and their tunes “make his heart rate soar”. And the [...]
By Paul Thornton SCOTS movie stud Gerard Butler has revealed how he “hates himself” for ditching his accent to land Hollywood roles. The 300 star – born in Glasgow – said to prevent slips he has begun speaking only in an American accent, despite slamming other stars for doing it. Butler, 39, said: “I hated [...]
By Rory Reynolds A MYSTERIOUS RAF base in Scotland could soon be home to the world’s first spaceport. Virgin Galactic has already scouted RAF Machrihanish on the Mull of Kintyre for their first space terminal. Machrihanish is currently an active airfield – but during the Cold War it served as a top secret base for [...]
By Paul Thornton A SECURITY expert has warned Glasgow will become a target for extremists during the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Odette Butson is responsible for keeping public transport security tight during the London Olympics in 2012. She said preparation must start now to ensure the Glasgow Subway is safe from terrorists and protestors during [...]
By Rory Reynolds A TAXI driver and his three passengers had narrow escapes after yobs hurled a wheelie bin from a bridge onto the roof of his cab. The driver and his terrified passengers looked on in horror as the bin hurtled towards them in Glenrothes, Fife. After bouncing on the road in front of [...]
By Paul Thornton TWO boys have been excluded after a smoke-bomb exploded at an Edinburgh secondary school. The fourth-year yobs could also face criminal charges following the incident at Firhill High which led to over 1,000 pupils being evacuated. Teachers also had to leave the school after the device was let-off in a corridor in [...]