By Michael MacLeod A CONVICTED paedophile who once groomed a teenage actress from the Harry Potter films has insisted he is “not evil” after scaring a nine year-old boy to tears. Ex-squaddie Douglas McNaught is banned for life from speaking to children having served a six year jail term for a sex attack on a [...]
By Michael MacLeod A WOMAN blinded a doorman by stamping her high-heeled stiletto through his eyeball after she was asked to leave a nightclub. After a drunken argument, Sarah Marsden, 37, had agreed to leave Edinburgh’s upmarket Shanghai bar when she spat in bouncer Graham Roach’s face. Before he had time to react, he was [...]
By Cara Sulieman A SCOTS council facing a nine billion pound black hole is splashing out more than £10,000 to send staff to the United States – to greet some sailors. Edinburgh City Council are preparing to send a delegation to greet the city’s entry in the round-the-world yacht race. The plans would involve a [...]
By Cara Sulieman COUNCIL chiefs in Edinburgh want to crack down on “tartan tat” shops marring the main tourist street to improve the image of Scotland’s capital. City of Edinburgh Council revealed plans to clean up the Royal Mile – where it owns most of the shops – by dictating the type of products that [...]
By Cara Sulieman A CLUB football secretary who took SPL side Hearts FC to an employment tribunal claiming sex discrimination has lost her case. Louise Mackenzie, 34, alleged the club froze her out of her “prestigious” job because she was off ill following maternity leave, and claimed that the club would have acted differently if [...]
By Rory Reynolds STANDING proud and tall in his regulation issue desert combats, Shaun Garrett checks the contents of his army rucksack one final time, handling the gas mask, rations, and weaponry that could very well help keep him and his colleagues alive. It won’t be lost on some, however, that while this strapping lad [...]
By Paul Thornton A SENIOR headteacher rented out a spot in his school’s playground to an ice-cream van for £50 per week before pocketing the cash, a tribunal has heard. The money was never paid into the school’s account until auditors showed-up at the secondary academy and the headteacher, Donald Matheson, handed a clerical assistant [...]
By Cara Sulieman ANGRY residents are calling for an Edinburgh pub to be shut down after two men walked in and shot a man in the leg at the weekend. The 24-year-old was rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after the attack in Jock’s Lodge pub on London Road on Sunday night. He was released this [...]
By Rory Reynolds A CHEEKY boffin has come up with a method of measuring how much sinning goes on behind closed doors. Professor Richard Wiseman devised a survey based on the Seven Deadly Sins to discover what the most popular sin is and discover whether Scots are becoming more sinful. And a secret online poll [...]
By Rory Reynolds SCOTLAND’s animal welfare charity has dubbed last year “the worst in recent memory” for shocking animal cruelty. The SSPCA said that the sheer severity of cruelty consistently shocked investigators, who have found animals that have been stabbed, starved, shot and set on fire. They highlighted one appalling case in which one drunk [...]
By Rory Reynolds A DESPERATE dog is so lacking in the looks department it has been waiting almost a YEAR to be re-homed. Animal charity bosses looking after crossbreed Patsy have grown so tired of their ugliest resident being passed over that they are now promising to pay any vet bills for the rest of [...]
By Rory Reynolds ROYAL Mail is urging the public to nominate their favourite local postie for first class service over the past year. The organisation is searching for the unsung heroes of the public organisation, which delivers to the 2.5million addresses in Scotland. And they have even included an award for bravery, which last year [...]
By SHAUN MILNE & PAUL THORNTON RICHARD Corsie’s fraudster son Cameron tried to get a job in SALES – boasting about a “proven track record” on his CV. The teenage conman – locked up over a £20,000 series of scams last week – wrote to several employers in recent times looking for work. He even [...]
By Rory Reynolds CHINESE firms are planning to sell electric cars in Scotland for as little as £5,000. Imports expected to arrive next year are set to slash the price of green cars, many of which are sold for around £20,000. And currently many electric models have a range of just 60-70 miles, making them [...]
By Rory Reynolds THE majority of Scots think Alex Salmond’s administration has failed to deliver on education, health and justice, a new poll has showed. Nearly two-thirds of Scottish voters believe the justice system is too soft on criminals, following the news that the SNP will scrap six month sentences in favour of community service. [...]
By Paul Thornton THE MUM of a fallen Scots paratrooper spoke of her overwhelming pride at being presented with an Elizabeth Cross in his memory on Friday night. Jem Wright, 58, told how helping comfort other soldiers through the post-traumatic stress of war has helped keep her son Mark alive in their hearts. Hero Mark, [...]
By Rory Reynolds FIFTEEN years ago Alison Hargreaves was on top of the world after becoming the first woman ever to climb Everest solo and without oxygen. But another attempt just three months later on neighbouring K2 saw the courageous mother-of-two lose her life after being blown off the mountain on her descent. Her body [...]
By Rory Reynolds SCOTS classical music star Nicola Benedetti has revealed she is too scared to be at home alone after an “obsessive” fan harassed her. The 22-year-old violinist had to report the incident to police after a man covering his face repeatedly rang the bell of her London home. The Ayrshire-born musician now says [...]
By Oliver Farrimond A RENOWNED American academic has told the Scottish Government to tackle Scotland’s obesity academic by using social networks. Claiming that fatness is infectious, leading social scientist Dr Nicholas Christakis attacked plans by the SNP administration to help Scotland shed the pounds by measures such as standardizing food portions in restaurants. Dr Christakis [...]
By Oliver Farrimond THE BROTHERS of Susan Boyle are feuding over the Scots songbird’s future career. John and Gerry Boyle are said to have fallen out over the influence of Susan’s manager Andy Stephens, following revelations that the West Lothian star needs constant care. Andy travels with Susan as she thrills excited fans on her [...]