Scots A&E forced to give out ASBOs in bid to curb violence

A SCOTS A&E department has been forced to turn to ASBOs in a desperate bid to keep staff and the ill safe from violent patients.

Staff at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee are so sick of being abused by aggressive drunks that they have signed a groundbreaking deal with the council to slap antisocial behaviour orders on offenders.

Eleven troublemakers have already been warned under the scheme, the first of its kind in Scotland.

Two have been given final warnings and could even be banned from A&E if they offend again.

Charity says 80,000 children in Scotland living with alcoholic parents

By Cara Sulieman

A CHILDREN’S charity is warning that the NHS is not doing enough to tackle drinking among parents, saying that 80,000 children in Scotland are living with alcoholic parents.

The worry is that these kids will follow in their footsteps unless the government takes action.

Children 1^st are calling for parents to get more advice on the impact of their boozing on the kids.

Alison Todd, a director of the charity said: “Scotland’s problem with alcohol is impacting on far too many of our children.

Scotland’s drug and drink shame goes back to school

By Michael MacLeod

PARENTS have been blamed for new figures showing at least 550 Scots school pupils are thrown out of class for using drugs or alcohol each year.

Teaching bosses say children living with drink or drug addicted parents are a “sad reflection” of modern childhood.

They claimed living with addicts or dealers causes children to develop their own problems.

New statistics revealed that in the four years up to 2009, almost 2,200 children were excluded from Scottish schools for substance abuse.

Drunk Dundee art teacher is struck off at GTC hearing

By Cara Sulieman

A BOOZY teacher has been struck off after turning up for work reeking of alcohol on three separate occasions.

Mary Gray had been given three months to prove she was able to bring her drink problem under control, but today education bosses decided she hadn’t made enough progress.

Ms Gray worked at Morgan Academy in Dundee when the alarm was raised after she arrived at the school smelling of booze in 2007 and 2008.

The art teacher – from Dundee – has now gone into counselling for alcohol dependency after the incidents on February 20 and March 21 2007, and March 13 2008.

But today the Disciplinary Sub-Committee of the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) decided that she hadn’t done enough to fight her addiction and removed her from the teaching register.

Sex criminal blames gay “repression” after grooming kids

By Michael MacLeod

AN old-age pervert who groomed two boys by plying them with alcohol then sexually abusing them has been jailed for eight months.

Joseph Johnstone, 67, claimed that growing up in a time when homosexuality was frowned upon skewed his understanding of normal behaviour.

He snared two 15 year-old boys by inviting them into his home for tea and biscuits in May last year.

After-hours booze plan for bar staff is ditched by MSPs

By Michael MacLeod

PLANS to let Scots pub staff drink alcohol after closing time have been thrown out amid fears they could open a loophole in the law leading to illegal “lock-ins”.

The idea was raised in the Scottish Parliament today (Tuesday) by Bill Aitken MSP, who hit out at government “killjoys” for shunning his plan.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said police were already busy enough when pubs close without having to monitor bar staff having a tipple.

Porter quits 5-star hotel while stealing £7,000 of booze

By Michael MacLeod

A NIGHT porter stole 15 bottles of booze worth over £7,000 from a five-star hotel shortly before handing in his resignation.

Former soldier Alan Weir, 26, used his security card to open the Prestonfield House Hotel’s wine cellar and made off with the wine and spirits.

He quit his job later that night, but was caught on CCTV and tracked down by police.

The stash discovered in Weir’s home was described by police as “the best stocked wine cellar in Dalkeith,” according to his former colleagues.

Boozy teacher given chance to prove drink problem under control

By Cara Sulieman

A BOOZY teacher has been given three months to prove she has her drink problem under control – or face losing her career.

Education chiefs yesterday heard how Mary Gray had admitted turning up to work reeking of alcohol on three separate occasions.

She worked at Morgan Academy in Dundee when the alarm was raised after she arrived at the school smelling of booze in 2007 and 2008.

The art teacher – from Dundee – has now gone into counselling for alcohol dependency after the incidents on February 20 and March 21 2007, and March 13 2008.

Buckfast gets smashed in Stateside caffeine blitz

By Michael MacLeod

BUCKFAST’S notorious reputation has spread to America, where health campaigners are warning of its caffeine content.

The tonic wine – mentioned in 5,000 Strathclyde police crime reports in the past three years – is already under fire from Scottish politicians for containing around 375mg of caffeine per litre.

And now it has been branded as 2010’s “Worst Caffeinated Product” by the Caffeine Awareness Association in the US.

But Buckfast’s makers accused the CAA of jumping on the bandwagon, after a recent BBC documentary which blamed the tonic wine for crime.

Row over “world’s strongest lager”

By Paul Thornton

ALCOHOL campaigners have hit out at a Scottish brewery who have started selling a 40 per cent beer.

WEST, a Glasgow run firm, have started importing Schorschbock, the world’s strongest lager, from Germany.

The drink overtakes BrewDog’s Tactical Nuclear Penguin as the nation’s strongest beer.

BrewDog – a Fraserburgh brewery – faced similar criticism when it launched the 32 per cent beer last November.

WEST are selling the heavy brew in their award winning restaurant on Glasgow Green and insist they will limit sales of the lager to one measure per customer.