Crook who targeted ex-Roller jailed

By Paul Thornton

A CHEF who tried to extort money out of Bay City Roller star Pat McGlynn after the former rocker won a restaurant has been jailed for a year.

The former musician – now 50 years old – won a half-million-pound eatery in September 2007 during a gambling session.

But McGlynn became a target for crooks on the make and soon began receiving phone calls from Michael Willis.

Willis, 21, demanded £200,000 telling the former star “get the money, or else”.  He also turned up at McGlynn’s home in Edinburgh asking for cash.

The retired Roller was so disturbed by the threats that police moved him into a safe house while they investigated.

And Wednesday at Edinburgh Sheriff Court Willis was jailed for 12 months after he had earlier admitted attempted extortion.

Edinburgh International Film Festival programme launched

By Oliver Farrimond

A STAR-STUDDED programme for the Edinburgh International Film Festival was officially unveiled yesterday at the Capital’s Filmhouse cinema.

Festival patrons Tilda Swinton, Seamus McGarvey and Sir Sean Connery will also return for the event, which runs from 17-28 June.

No fewer than 23 films will have their world premieres at the renowned festival, which will include a special showcase on the work of celebrated Scottish film-makers Peter MacDougall and John Mackenzie.

Scots audiences can look forward to a number of Scottish feature films being screened, including a new film from “Hallam Foe” director David Mackenzie, titled “Spread”.

Models strut their stuff at launch of Edinburgh College of Art fashion show

By Oliver Farrimond

EDINBURGH fashion students showcased their years work yesterday in a glamorous fashion show at the Edinburgh College of Art.

Hundreds gathered to watch the event, which featured professional models strutting their stuff in a variety of luxurious fabrics and elaborate costumes.

The show represents the culmination of a year’s hard work for many students, and for some it is the final show of their degree.

Many will hope to go on to a successful career in one of the fashion industry’s “big four” cities of Milan, London, Paris and New York City.

The show runs from Wednesday 6th May until the 9th, and is widely regarded as a key date in the Capital’s cultural calendar.

Among the collections was an exclusive range of Scottish fabrics from the Borders-based Lochcarron of Scotland.

Scots busker becomes overnight internet sensation

By ALEXANDER LAWRIE

A SCOTS busker is all set to hit the big time after becoming an overnight internet sensation.

Stuart Crout, from Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, was asked to star in a Doritos advert after producers spotted a Youtube clip of him playing his homemade instrument.

The 20-year-old has created the world’s first ‘kazookeyele’ which he put together from an old, broken baby piano, half a ukulele and a kazoo.

The young busker has now received over 2.5 million views after posting a three minute clip of him playing Europe’s worldwide hit The Final Countdown on his unusual instrument.

The wacky Scot is now making a modest income from advertising revenue from the website and is currently creating more bizarre musical gadgets.

Stirling Albion fans try and buy club

By ALEXANDER LAWRIE

SUPPORTERS of a small Scottish football club are urging sports fans from across the world to help them buy their club.

The Stirling Albion Supporter’s Trust hope to become the first British football club to be wholly-owned by the fans

The Bino’s have been up for sale for several years and with spiraling costs and no sign of any immediate investment are at risk of going out of business.

The specific amount needed to buy the club is still to be determined, but the club’s supporter’s trust are hoping to entice around 20,000 football fans from across the world to get involved.

The campaign to buy the Scottish second division football club was officially announced at a press conference yesterday.

Major repair work to Scotland’s lighthouses

By ALEXANDER LAWRIE

MAJOR REPAIR work to Scotland’s lighthouses is to begin with the oldest rock-based structure in the British Isles later this year.

The Northern Lighthouse Board is seeking contractors with a head for heights to carry out work on some the country’s most remote buildings.

And the first lighthouse to be given a makeover is the 200 year-old Bell Rock, situated 12 miles off the Angus coast.

The work will pose many challenges for tradesmen because of its, remote location, dangerous tidal conditions and isolation.

No appeal by Crown over child death

By ALEXANDER LAWRIE

THE CROWN has decided not appeal the ten-year sentence handed down to the killer of Dundee toddler Brandon Muir.

Robert Cunningham was found guilty of culpable homicide of the two-year old toddler at the High Court in Glasgow in March.

He was given the sentence by temporary judge John Morris QC which in effect could mean Cunningham walking the streets in just four years.

The judgement sparked outrage among members of Brandon’s family and child welfare campaigners, with one calling the Scottish justice system “a laughing stock”.

The Crown had initially indicated it would appeal the sentence if it felt it was too lenient, but on Tuesday they issued a statement ruling that course of action out.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “Following full and careful consideration as to whether an appeal should be lodged in this case, Crown Counsel reached a decision that the sentence imposed was within the range available to the judge in the exercise of his discretion and that any appeal would therefore not succeed.”

Senior Scottish minister blasts Old Firm thugs as “barbaric”

By Michael MacLeod

OLD Firm football thugs who beat their wives have been slated as “barbaric” by a senior Government minister ahead of Saturday’s potentially explosive SPL title deciding clash at Ibrox.

Communities Minister Alex Neil revealed yesterday that an advertising campaign will be run on TV before, during and after the Rangers v Celtic match being shown live on Setanta specifically targeted to highlight a proven rise in complaints of domestic abuse centred around the Glasgow derby.

Electronic advertising hoardings around the perimeter of the pitch at Rangers ground Ibrox hosting the match will also carry the message: ‘There’s no excuse for domestic abuse’.

MSP Neil revealed that shameful domestic abuse attacks jumped by a staggering 88 per-cent to 231 cases on the last Old Firm matchday in March, sparking demands from police to the Scottish Government that ‘something has to be done.’

CAMPAIGN: Alex Neil, Communities Minister

And Mr Neil, unveiling a new report yesterday, admitted he worries for the wives and partners of drunken football yobs.

Evidence

He said: “We are doing extra this weekend around the Old Firm game because we have very clear evidence that around the game there is an increase in domestic abuse, particularly in the West coast.

“We are deliberately segmenting the message to men and women before and after the game. There’s absolutely nothing worse than for a woman to live in fear of her partner and we take a zero tolerance approach to violence against women, especially drunken violence.

“This is the 21st Century, Scotland is a modern nation and it is absolutely barbaric to engage in domestic abuse, which is one of the worst forms of violence in our society.”

Talent star Susan Boyle suffers wardrobe malfunction

By Cara Sulieman

SUSAN Boyle suffered an embarrassing ‘wardrobe malfunction’ early today at her home in Blackburn.

The Britain’s Got Talent star made a rookie mistake of forgetting to zip herself up before leaving her house in Blackburn.

SUSAN BOYLE: wardobe malfunction

Stepping out in her cream chinos and now famous black leather jacket, she seemed oblivious of her fashion faux pas.

And it didn’t stop there – squeezed into a black satin shirt a few sizes too small, the substantial singer was bursting out between the buttons as she faced photographers camped outside her home.

Oprah

The dressing disaster comes just weeks after singing sensation Susan underwent a controversial makeover after shooting to fame last month, and just 24-hrs after she was filmed for the Oprah Winfrey show.

She ditched the frumpy clothes, waxed her eyebrows and died her hair during a whirlwind of media interviews.

But if her performance yesterday (Weds) proves anything then it’s proof that the old Susan is still alive and well – if maybe in need of a little help with her choice of outfits before her next big performance.

For more great Susan Boyle pictures, visit our Flickr gallery now.

Serving police officer Anna Wong guilty of data crime

By Paul Thornton

A POLICEWOMAN is facing a fine of up to £5,000 after she illegally accessed people’s data using a police computer.

Anna Wong, 26, was suspended by Lothian and Borders Police after they caught her using intelligence databases to look-up people she knew.

SHAMED: Anna Wong

Wong – originally from Hong Kong – used the Scottish Intelligence Database and the Lothian and Borders Operational Support System to obtain personal details of a number of Chinese people living in Scotland.

The officer was suspended after it emerged Wong was accessing the details at the capital’s St Leonards Police Station between March 2006 and June 2007.

Charged

Wong was charged with 54 breaches of the Data Protection Act and later admitted 28 of the charges at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

She insists she did not pass the information on to anyone else but could face a maximum £5,000 fine.

Fiscal depute Beverley Adam said Wong had been at level nine on the scale of access privileges within the force – the lowest rating with access to the information – when she used the databases.

Her solicitor, David O’Hagan, said Wong had begun tapping into the database to look-up outstanding cases against two people she knew. However, Mr O’Hagan said, because of the difficulties in recording Chinese names on the computers, Wong simply entered “Chinese” as a search term and began accessing others in the Chinese community to investigate possible links.