By Michael MacLeod A HEROIN addict who attacked a boy on a bus for his mobile phone has been jailed for a year. Darren Rankin,24, picked the 15 year-old for no reason other than to fund his drug habit. The victim was listening to music on his iPod as the bus travelled along Edinburgh’s Craigentinny [...]
By Alexander Lawrie A HOUSE dubbed ‘The Royal Box of Golf” is up for sale for almost £4 million The stunning property offers one of the most iconic views in the golfing world as it overlooks the 18th green at the Old Course in St Andrews. Situated within feet of the world-famous green, the balcony [...]
By Alexander Lawrie BOSSES at Homecoming Scotland altered minutes of important meetings and destroyed an email account in a bid to discredit a high-flying PR manager, a tribunal heard yesterday. Richard Saville-Smith, from Edinburgh, claims management at VisitScotland – the public body in charge of the year-long Homecoming celebrations – doctored evidence of his workload. [...]
By Paul Thornton A BOOZED up motorist charged with risking a six-year-old girl’s safety by driving with the tot in her car while drunk has been admonished by a sheriff. Shamed Jane Lawrie, 40, had previously been banned from driving for two years after being caught behind the wheel of her silver Mazda in February, [...]
By Michael MacLeod A SACKED builder who downed eight pints before torching a block of flats has been jailed for 18 months. David Muchemwa, 31, was sacked by Cala Homes just days before he soaked a bundle of clothes with petrol and used them to set fire to their Fettes Rise development in Edinburgh. He [...]
By JENNA RAFFAELLI A LONG lost cat has been found more than a year after he went missing – almost 500 miles away from his home. Sampson, a large white and brown tabby cat, was handed into a vet centre in Plymouth, Devon – 478 miles away from his home in Penicuik, Midlothian. The marauding [...]
By Rory Reynolds WORLD-class violinist Nicola Benedetti has revealed that she practises in her pyjamas “all the time” – in preparation for her huge sell-out concerts. The Scots-Italian beauty said that she has so much playing to get into each day, that she slots sessions in whether in her kitchen, around the house or in [...]
By Paul Thornton A MAN has hit-out after being taken to court – for having a water-fight with his step-son. Murray Kerr, 37, was charged with the alleged ill-treatment of 12-year-old Jordan Cairns after two neighbours saw him pouring water over the lad outside his Edinburgh home. And despite Jordan’s mum Suzanne Young insisting he [...]
By Rory Reynolds CONGESTED streets, road works, street yobs, drunk passengers and long hours have left a staggering three-quarters of Edinburgh cabbies with dangerously high blood pressure. A massive 75 per cent of cab drivers tested positive for high blood pressure compared to just 25 per cent of the average middle-aged person. The medical condition [...]
By Rory Reynolds A HOMEOWNER who had her door set on fire, was threatened at knife-point and had excrement smeared on her landing is being taken to court by her local council – for refusing to pay for any more damage. Teresa Kershaw, 52, – who lives in a tower block “from hell” in Restalrig, [...]
By Alexander Lawrie A HIGH flying PR executive who was charged with masterminding Scotland’s Year of Homecoming campaign issued a “cry for help” to bosses before suffering a mental collapse, a tribunal heard yesterday. Richard Saville-Smith, 48, from Edinburgh, told how he had struggled under the workload and asked for support – all against a [...]
By Cara Sulieman A POETRY competition designed to raise awareness of Remembrance Day among children was launched with the backing of Britain’s own modern day soldier poet. Lieutenant Colonel J.B. Brown attended the launch of Poppyscotland’s poetry competition today (mon) to inspire school kids to write about war and remembrance, so others never forget. Lt [...]
By Alexander Lawrie A FURIOUS e-mail rant directed at bosses of a community radio station ended up in the in-boxes of hundreds of stunned listeners – sparking chaos at their Edinburgh based HQ. Leith FM bosses were accused of overworking volunteers, ignoring alleged death threats from staff and trying to sweep claimed bust-ups between presenters [...]
By Alexander Lawrie A SCOTS city centre has been given an unusual makeover – with its landmarks being covered in red wool. Familiar sights in Inverness have been encased in the bright wool as part of a publicly-funded arts project. The scheme – which puts an unusual twist on the idea of painting the town [...]
By Alexander Lawrie A TINY Scots island community has been ripped apart by a feud involving the Queen’s composer and his elderly, disabled neighbours. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies has been forced to call in the police after he claims his life has been made “hell” by the actions of Jim White and his wife. The [...]
By Rory Reynolds MURRAY mania has boosted the British economy through tennis by a staggering £400million this year. The 22-year-old Scot’s meteoric rise to the top of world tennis, appearance at the Wimbledon semi-finals and becoming the world no.2 has led to the sport’s boom, according to a study by Barclays and the University of [...]
By Alexander Lawrie SCOTTISH singing sensation Susan Boyle will stun her fans when she performs at the final of America’s Got Talent this week – with a cover of a Rolling Stones classic. SuBo is all set to give Mick Jagger’s 1971 song Wild Horses the Boyle touch when she appears in front of millions [...]
By Rory Reynolds A SEX offender has been rescued by police after a gang of furious vigilante locals descended on his home. Plain-clothes police in unmarked cars escorted ex-soldier Douglas McNaught from his home in Prestonfield Avenue, Edinburgh, for the second time in a week after being harassed by a baying mob last Thursday. Last [...]
By Rory Reynolds SINGLE malt whisky brand GlenDronach is to receive massive investment to restore the distillery to its former glory. Owners BenRiach are to splash out £7million on the former giant – which was in the top five for global whisky sales 40 years ago. The distillery – situated near Huntly, in Speyside – [...]
By Alexander Lawrie A SCOTS religious education teacher has been heavily criticised after he showed a class of 14-year-olds a horrific video showing dogs being skinned alive. The horrendous images, which were shown to a class of fourth year pupils at James Young High School, Livingston, contained scenes so disturbing one girl fled the classroom [...]