Under-the-bed stalker is jailed for harassing ex-girlfriend

By Christine Lavelle

A MAN who stalked his ex-girlfriend by hiding under her bed has been jailed for 40 months.

Two days after being dumped Christopher Fowler was found under ex-partner Catherine Southcott’s bed having forcing his way into her home.

The 27 year-old was released on bail but continued to bombard her with 108 phone calls, text messages and even letters from behind prison bars.

A sheriff today imposed an ASBO on Fowler, who claimed he was “ashamed of his actions.”

Group merger is monkey business at Edinburgh Zoo

By Martin Graham

TWO parties of chimps at Edinburgh Zoo have merged in a bid to discover who is the top banana in a new enclosure.

Edinburgh’s zookeepers have created a primate coalition after studying the chimpanzees’ complex political hierarchies for six months.

And with genes which are 98 per-cent the same as humans, the new chimp alliance has been negotiated nearly as carefully as the one in the House of Commons.

Not dissimilar to the Tory and Lib Dem government, keepers say the two parties living in the Budongo Trail enclosure appear to be settling in without too much in-fighting.

The 11 resident chimps at Edinburgh Zoo are joined by a new group of primates from Holland’s Beekse Bergen Safari Park.

Murder probe after stabbing in Wester Hailes

By Martin Graham

POLICE have launched a murder investigation after a man was stabbed to death in Edinburgh.

The 34 year-old-man, named locally as Martin Hughes, was found at around 3pm on Monday by paramedics outside his home in Wester Hailes Park.

Today neighbours paid tribute to Mr Hughes as an animal lover who owned an Alsatian dog named Chomp.

And a woman who recently sold him a puppy played down rumours Mr Hughes had been killed after a row over payment for the young dog.

Call for radical merger of Scotland’s fire services

By Oliver Farrimond

SCOTLAND’S newest fire chief claims a merger of the country’s fire and rescue services is “inevitable”.

Jimmy Campbell, who took up his post as chief fire officer at Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service last month, believes the move is a foregone conclusion in the face of savage cuts to public spending.

His call for as little as three super-brigades covering large areas of Scotland reflects concerns that the current system of eight forces is unwieldy.

In a bold first official statement in his new role, Mr Campbell urged politicians to look at back-room cuts nationwide to avoid axing “critical” frontline positions.

William Wallace loses to Cheryl Cole in fame fight

By Cara Sulieman

SCOTLAND’S children know more about celebrities like Cheryl Cole than they do national heroes according to new research.

A poll of 1,000 primary school kids showed that 91 per-cent of them recognised the X Factor judge, but just 28 per-cent were able to name William Wallace.

The group behind the study are blaming the education system for the lack of knowledge – saying students need to spend more time experiencing the subject.

The children, aged between nine and 11, were asked to identify the two famous figures at various events during the year.

While Cheryl Cole was instantly recognisable to most, Wallace was a lot harder for the schoolkids to name.