A pensioner has admitted flyposting racist propaganda around Levenmouth in Fife.
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, Ian McLauchlan admitted he displayed posters which contained racist and offensive material, referencing “p**i rape gangs”.
He admitted that on various occasions between January 30 and February 15 this year, he communicated material a reasonable person would consider to be threatening, abusive or insulting.
The 72-year-old posted the racist material at Overton Road in Kirkcaldy, Sainsbury’s in Leven, Groban in Leven, Methilhaven Road in Methil and Wellesley Road in Methil.
He admitted his behaviour breached of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021.
He accused stores in the Kingdom of being “pedo shops”.
McLauchlan, of Bayview Crescent in Methil, initially denied the offence when he first appeared in court from custody but tendered a guilty plea at a subsequent hearing.
Sheriff John MacRitchie deferred sentencing until June 4 and ordered background reports.
When the posters were discovered, one shopkeeper told The Courier: “Unfortunately this is the reality of living in Scotland.”
At the time, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “The content of these posters is very concerning and we recognise the impact this may have on our communities.
“The posters that have been discovered have since been removed, however, we would urge the public to report instances of this nature to police immediately if they come across it.”
Menacing calls to Iraqi general
Convicted blackmailer Karivan Mizuri made menacing phone calls to an Iraqi general, demanding the “return” of his daughter to Dundee – then made up a stolen gold plot to convince him to drop criminal charges. The takeaway chef was jailed in 2022 for attempting to extort £37,000 from the officer by threatening to continue posting naked snaps of his adult daughter online. He was back in court to admit making abusive calls to his target’s home in Iraq.
‘Thefts’ appearance
A man has appeared in court accused of thefts in Perthshire.
Georgian Sipanu, 35, from Hamilton, appeared in private facing three charges of theft by housebreaking.
He made no plea and was committed for further examination and granted bail.
The brief court hearing took place after police revealed arrests had been made following alleged “high-value” thefts from distilleries in Blackford and Crieff last month.
Sextortion plotter
A Perth blackmailer who tried to extort money from her vulnerable victim with a false sex assault claim has been jailed.
Connie Furlong lured the man to her flat, where he kissed her and placed his hand on her.
She then told him she would have him charged with sexual assault and asked for his wallet.
The man left after another male entered the room and told him: “That’s my girlfriend”.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how the second man told Furlong: “Don’t let him leave. Lock the door.”
The victim panicked and offered to withdraw money from an ATM but when he got outside he flagged down a passing car and told them he was scared of Furlong.
She warned him: “I have video of you grabbing my boobs and f***y and kissing me.
“You have 10 minutes until I phone the police.”
The victim took screenshots of the messages and passed them to police and Furlong was arrested.
She denied wrongdoing and claimed the victim had edited the incriminating messages to make her look bad.
She told detectives the man had forced himself upon her and had subsequently offered her £400 not to go to the police.
Furlong, 29, from Perth, admitted acting with another to menace the man with the intention of extorting £80 from him on December 28 2021.
She was jailed for 10 months when she returned for sentencing on Wednesday.
Caught twice
A drunken driver who demolished part of a village bridge and smashed into a parked car in Perthshire was weeks later caught motoring down the M90 at six times the legal limit. Siobhan Petrie accelerated into the side of a stone crossing in Dunning centre, before steering her Volvo into a stationary Land Rover. 12 weeks later, she called for help from a motorway telephone, claiming she had run out of fuel near Perth.
Abusive partner
A man struck his ex-partner’s head off a wall and dragged her down a set of stairs during a violent attack in Dundee.
Connor Kane, 28, was previously found guilty by a sheriff of assaulting the woman on September 8 last year.
Following his trial at the city’s sheriff court, Kane was convicted of acting aggressively, damaging an oven by striking it, punching a door and smashing a glass off his head.
Kane pulled a necklace off the woman, seized her hair and neck and struck her on the head to her injury.
He struck her head off a wall, kicked her body, seized her hair and dragged her down a set of stairs.
Solicitor Kevin Hampton said: “He has maintained his position and the evidence he gave at trial but accepts that whatever happened that night is not what should have happened and is very remorseful about his behaviour.
“He understands he has to be punished.”
Kane was ordered to perform 150 hours of unpaid work as an alternative to custody by Sheriff Alastair Carmichael.
A two-year non-harassment order was also imposed.
Campaigner jailed
A prominent domestic abuse campaigner from Perthshire, who was found guilty of physical and sexual abuse of children, has been jailed for three years. Nicola Murray – who ran the domestic abuse support group Brodie’s Trust – denied assaulting the children over a 20-year period but was found guilty by a jury following a trial.
Bricklayer’s hotel rampage
A paranoid bricklayer went through his partner’s phone, then smashed the device in a Premier Inn room after a wedding.
Police were called to the St Andrews hotel after guests in an adjacent room heard Kevin Taylor‘s alarming rampage.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how Taylor’s partner was woken in the early hours of the morning by him aggressively shouting.
Prosecutor Kate Scarborough said: “He had been looking through the complainer’s phone and this has been the trigger.
“There was a verbal argument between them. The accused took the phone and smashed it on the side of a cabinet, which caused the screen to smash.
“He became angrier and started to throw property and furniture around.”
Taylor, of Edinburgh, pled guilty to behaving abusively and damaging property in a room at the hotel on December 29 2024.
Solicitor Alanna Bryant said the 32-year-old was in the grips of a cocaine addiction at the time and is in recovery.
She said Taylor and his partner are still in a relationship.
As an alternative to custody, Sheriff Alastair Carmichael placed Taylor on supervision for 18 months with a requirement to engage with addiction services.
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