A businessman who spent a fortnight sticking posters portraying vile lies about Pakistani “grooming gangs” around Fife has been hit with a “substantial” fine.
Grandad Ian McLauchlan was caught on CCTV sticking up slur-laden posters around Leven, Methil and Kirkcaldy.
The businessman and landlord, 72, claimed his conduct was a “senior moment” but had previously told police it was a cover-up involving teachers and social workers.
Fifers were left shocked earlier this year by McLauchlan’s flyposting, which exhibited his far-right views.
McLauchlan’s posters claimed the Labour party had instructed police to do nothing about sexual abuse and heroin dealing and that local businesses were “verified pedo shops”, instructing readers to graffiti their premises.
At the foot of his poster, McLauchlan ordered readers to view Stirling-based historian Neil Oliver’s video on grooming gangs on the GB News YouTube channel.
Bigotry campaign
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, a sentencing sheriff was provided with a three-page account of McLauchlan’s campaign and photos of the posters.
The agreed narrative of the offending revealed the first of his bigoted bills to be noticed was on a bus shelter on Overton Road in Kirkcaldy, near St Andrews High School.
A dog walker spotted the soaking flier at 10am on January 30 and removed it before contacting police.
At 11am on February 3, police attended Sainsbury’s in Leven for an unrelated matter.
Staff handed over an identical A4 poster a customer had found pinned to a trolley bay in the car park.
The following morning, another witness found one of McLauchlan’s posters on a bus stop at Groban, Leven.
Police removed it and carried out a search of the wider area.
They seized another poster from the bus stop on the corner of Scoonie Road and Haughgate Street.
McLauchlan’s flyposting was discovered again on February 12.
A woman using the ATM at the Co-op on Methilhaven Road, Methil, noticed a poster on the Salvation Army clothing bank there.
Having seen identical posters circulating on social media, she alerted police.
Finally caught
On February 17, McLauchlan was finally rumbled by a man walking to work on Welleseley Road, Methil, who found a poster on a bus stop and alerted police.
Officers were able to review CCTV there and saw McLauchlan’s white Ford Fiesta van park up two days earlier.
He was caught on camera putting up posters.
Police traced him the next day and found a bag of identical posters on his van’s front seat.
Further evidence was recovered from his home in Bayview Crescent, Methil.
McLauchlan told officers he “knew this” from politicians who he could cite for court and “they all knew”.
He repeated business owners from ethnic groups were grooming young girls, that police did not do anything and this was known by teachers and social workers.
McLauchlan told officers it was “all a big cover up.”
Senior moment
McLauchlan’s solicitor Kerr Sneddon explained McLauchlan’s only other – non-analogous – conviction was 15 years ago.
“It’s particularly unfortunate this 72-year-old is in court for the second time in his life.
“This all seems to have started when a young lady locally had given him a leaflet about her own abuse – that was in 2024.
“I think what he’s done is then researched all the things that we hear about and certain members of society – some of which are well-founded, it must be said.
“Of course, we know when you go onto the internet, if you research a certain topic it creates an algorithm.
“It creates more and more and more. I think that is what has happened to Mr McLauchlan.”
“With no disrespect to him, it may be I think some degree of age has kicked in,” Mr Sneddon continued.
“He very much accepts the reasonable person would consider these types of poster would stir up problems – quite significant problems.”
Mr Sneddon added: “He describes it as a stupid, senior moment and something he deeply regrets.
“He is still a very hard-working man, he works full time Monday to Friday and has his own business… and a separate business renting out properties.”
‘Potential to stir up racial unrest’
At a hearing last month, McLauchlan pled guilty to displaying posters which contained racist and offensive material and sentencing was deferred for reports.
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.
He admitted this breached the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021.
McLauchlan spent a night in the cells following his arrest.
Sheriff Allan Findlay ordered McLauchlan to pay a fine of £2,000 and a £75 victim surcharge.
The sheriff labelled the offending “in one view misguided, in another view very serious.”
He added: “The potential that this conduct could have in stirring up racial unrest will be marked by a substantial fine.”
At the time, Inspector Matt Spencer said: “We understand the distressing impact these incidents have on our communities.
“Police Scotland takes reports of hate crime very seriously and our officers are committed to ensuring this will not be tolerated.”
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