Youths who hurled a rock from great height at a Fife beauty spot narrowly missed hitting a young girl.
Furious dad Gary Bissett, 41, has condemned the actions of a group of youths after a boulder was thrown from an area above the beach below Ravenscraig Castle in Kirkcaldy and narrowly missed his youngest daughter Lilly, aged seven, on Saturday evening.
Gary, who said his daughter could have been killed, is urging locals and visitors to be vigilant in the area amid fears ongoing anti-social behaviour could have far more serious and even fatal consequences.
The historic castle had to be closed recently due to repeated instances of vandalism and fire-raising, and locals say the public park and secluded areas high above the beach are regularly being used as drinking dens.
Fears over anti-social behaviour and criminal damage forces closure of historic Fife castle
Gary had been enjoying a walk along the beach with his wife Sarah, 33, and daughters Chloe, nine, and Lilly, seven, at around 5.30pm when the rock – understood to be around six inches in diameter – landed in the sand just a matter of feet away from the latter.
“There’s no doubt, it would have been an instant fatality if it hit,” Gary said.
Gary said his family had been walking along the shore when Lilly spotted some seals, so they stopped to watch them before heading back to the car park on the west side of the castle.
However, when Gary heard shouting from the cliff top above, he asked Lilly to move away from the cliff to be closer to him at the water’s edge and, as she started to walk, the rock landed fewer than six feet away from her.
He said he shouted up to the group “that could have killed her”.
Gary added: “Their reply was taunts of “what you gonna do about it down there?” and “come on then, go for it”.
He then ran to confront the youths, who scattered when they saw him approach.
“I walked along as far as the castle entrance but they weren’t to be seen, although, I wouldn’t have been able to point them out even if I had seen them to be honest,” Gary added.
“The height they were at when they threw the rock was significant, as you’ll well know if you’ve been in the area.”
Police have not been involved in this specific incident but local officers are concerned about anti-social behaviour in the Ravenscraig Park and Ravenscraig Castle area and have urged people to contact 101 to report incidents.
Gary added: “If this is something that happens frequently and not just an isolated event, then it perhaps is something that is worth looking out for.”