The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and The Mearns Edition)
North Carr sinking ‘case of when not if ’
The North Carr, Scotland’s last surviving lightship, is close to sinking if urgent action is not taken, according to volunteers. The historic vessel has been moored at a prominent corner of Dundee’s Victoria Dock for 30 years but, despite years of...
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Killer dies 49 years after horrific Dundee murder
A sadistic murderer who killed a teenage girl in a Dundee doorway almost 50 years ago has died in prison. Brian Mearns, whose brutal killing of Linda Batchelor in 1977 sent shockwaves through the city, died earlier this month. A one-line statement on...
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Nature charity’s funding plea amid £25k shortfall
The boss of a popular Angus nature reserve says there is “no guarantee” the charity which runs it will exist by next year amid a £25,000 shortfall. The Murton Trust, which runs the Murton Tearoom, Farm and Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Forfar,...
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Kate and William wow city crowds with royal selfies
The future king and queen visited Stirling yesterday, stopping at two locations in the city centre. Crowds gathered to meet William and Kate, who spent time speaking to the public, receiving flowers and posing for photos after their second...
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Tiktoker slammed for AI prank on shopper
A Tiktok prankster has come under fire for using an Ai-generated video to try to have a customer removed from a Dundee supermarket. Footage shows a customer presenting a member of staff with Ai-generated footage depicting another shopper damaging...
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Civic trust seeks to change ‘inefficient’ boundaries of city
Dundee Civic Trust (DCT) is calling for the city’s boundaries to be expanded amid concerns the current set-up is “inefficient”. The trust is a voluntary and charitable organisation that aims to encourage good design in regeneration projects. It was...
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Fears Tay cash may make city worse off
The leader of Dundee City Council, Mark Flynn, thinks the city may be left worse off by the UK Government’s new £19.5 million Tay Cities fund. He said the cash was “not new money” and would likely be less than the city already received from the...
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Treasurer embezzled £6k from social club
A former chartered accountant who embezzled £6,000 from a Dundee social club says he’s willing to repay the money. Treasurer Graham Clelland previously admitted hollowing out the funds of the Fairmuir Social Club over a 16-month period. He had pled...
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Dundee Rep loses £450k and may see funds axed
Dundee Rep has posted an annual loss of almost half a million pounds, ahead of a decision to be made by Dundee City Council to cut its entire funding to the theatre. The Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre Ltd reported losses of £450,306 to March 31 2025,...
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More than 150 quality pages packed with features, interviews, news and sport
Health journey: Breast cancer patient hopes to set example to other women Culture vulture: New Rep director back from Oz and relishing new role in the arts Second language: Schoolchildren find benefits of learning in Gaelic tongue Surgery...
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SNP comes under pressure to back ‘vital’ college plan
The £265 million transformation of Dundee and Angus College looks set to be an election battleground, with First Minister John Swinney facing increasing pressure to back the scheme. After Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar pledged to fund it if he...
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Hockey players enjoy frosty fun on frozen pond
As freezing temperatures hit Tayside people headed out to make the most of the winter weather. Some took advantage of the conditions to have an impromptu game of ice hockey on the Swannie Ponds in Dundee, while others in Kirriemuir and Pitlochry dug...
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‘Super-pylons’ firm in 40 bids for land access
Almost 40 wayleave appeals have been lodged with the Scottish Government as plans to run a line of “super-pylons” through Angus move forward. Energy giant SSEN Transmission hopes to secure Holyrood consent for the 70-mile Kintore to Tealing 400Kv...
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Six dogs killed as fire guts cottages
Six dogs have died and two cottages have been destroyed in a “devastating” house fire near Brechin. The terraced cottage by the A90 at North Water Bridge was engulfed in flames at around 7.40pm on Saturday. The A90 was closed overnight and reopened...
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Anti-violence plea from ex-hooligan
A former football hooligan has warned young fans against getting involved in violence at matches. Andy Blance, pictured, served a five-year jail sentence for mobbing and violence involving Dunfermline casuals in 1990 and a prison term for assaulting...
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Deportation ordeal for married city volunteer
A married Dundee volunteer faces being deported to her native Germany after being refused a visa to remain in the UK. Sylvia Tiekotter married Aleksander Grodzicki, both pictured, in 2021, but says they left her home country due to a breakdown in...
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Dad praises rescuers following hit and run
A Dundee dad who has been left using a wheelchair after a hit and run says it is a “miracle” he is still alive. Dad-of-three Tommy-lee Naylor suffered serious injuries when he was knocked down on the Kingsway on December 4. The 25-year-old sustained...
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Man charged after home destroyed by early morning fire
A man has been charged after a house in the Carse of Gowrie was allegedly set on fire. The blaze broke out in a detached house at West Grange, near Errol, just before 4am yesterday. Six fire engines and a height appliance attended the scene and...
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Jeweller hails help of sight-loss charity
A jeweller who faced the “absolute disaster” of losing his sight has praised a charity for helping him adapt and keep working. After attending an eye appointment for cataract treatment, Robin Key, pictured, was diagnosed with macular degeneration –...
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‘Idiot’ driver sped along a pavement
An “idiot” driver from Dundee was lucky not to have mown down pedestrians as he tore along a pavement during a hair-raising highspeed chase through Perth city centre, a court heard. John Buchan sped away from police and along several streets at well...
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Tenants owe council £3m in rent arrears
Dundee City Council tenants owe more than £3.3 million in rent arrears. As of October this year rent arrears across the city had reached £3,314,167. Information received under a freedom of information request shows the amount owed to the council at...
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Boy boosts hospital after recovery from open-heart surgery
A schoolboy from Monifieth has raised thousands of pounds for Ninewells Hospital just months after making a miracle recovery from open-heart surgery. Parker Lindsay, 7, “was a matter of weeks away from his heart stopping completely”, according to mum...
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Fisherman believed to be missing at sea
A fisherman from Angus is thought to be missing at sea after his boat washed ashore with no one on board. The unmanned vessel was found unoccupied on Inverbervie Beach in Aberdeenshire just after 11am on Saturday, sparking a large-scale search...
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Warning of ‘devastating’ family services cuts plan
A leading charity has warned over proposed cuts to children and family services in Dundee, saying the move would be “devastating” for those affected. One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) has penned an open letter to the city council to express “deep...
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V&A has ‘challenges’ despite £9m income
The chairman of V&A Dundee has warned of a “challenging environment” for the museum, despite recording an annual income of more than £9 million for the first time. Tim Allan, pictured, said the kimono exhibition and the hugely popular Dundee tapestry...
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Tay Cities cash offered again after projects fail to use funds
Several major innovation and regeneration projects announced as part of the £300 million Tay Cities deal have failed to materialise, with new applicants now being sought. Five years after the signing of the original deal, the publicly funded scheme is...
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Timber firm workers offered old jobs back as company rescued
Workers at a collapsed timber merchant have been given their jobs back after the firm was saved from administration. Orchard Timber in Forfar shut with immediate effect, with staff made redundant, following the collapse of parent company National...
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Murder charge following death of grandmother
A man has been charged with the murder of his former partner a week after her death at a flat in Dundee. Last week, 42-year-old Andrew Bajek appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court accused of assaulting 54-year-old Lili Stojanova, pictured, prior to her...
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Primary school saved after U-turn by council
Dundee City Council has been accused of “incompetence” after U-turning on a decision to close a primary school. St Pius Primary School in Douglas had been marked for closure next summer before an independent panel refused the move in a scathing report...
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Pensioner dies in accident with van
An 83-year-old woman has died after being hit by a van in Dundee. Emergency services were called to Christian Road in the West Ferry area at around 5.25pm on Saturday. The crash involved a pedestrian and a silver Ford Transit van, with the woman...
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EX-FM relative not guilty of extortion
The brother-in-law of former first minister Humza Yousaf was yesterday acquitted of extortion and drugs charges during a culpable homicide trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. Ramsay El Nakla, pictured, was acquitted of all charges after prosecutors...
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Nurse to appeal as tribunal decision blunder revealed
Nurse Sandie Peggie broke her silence yesterday as she revealed why she is appealing the judgment in her trans row with NHS Fife – on the day the document was amended to remove a bogus quote. The tribunal judgment, published on Monday, had found that...
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Lack of safeguard fears over assisted dying bill
A Dundee MSP has said that the current draft of a proposed assisted dying bill “jeopardises the rights of disabled people and others in Scotland”. Michael Marra was joined by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and MSP Edward Mountain at Holyrood...
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Musicians make a Big Noise in RSNO link-up
Young people from a community music and social change programme have taken part in a unique concert alongside the world-renowned Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO). Twenty-four young musicians from Big Noise Douglas, aged between 11 and 15,...
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Four jailed for murder in punishment beating
A gang of four will each serve at least 20 years in prison after being convicted of brutally murdering a man in his Dundee home. Carrie Stewart, 44, Brian Millar, 29, Barry Murray, 45, and Scott Henderson, 40, killed Steven Hutton after bursting into...
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Partner of hit-and-run victim tells of disgust
The partner of a Dundee man seriously injured in a hit-and-run on the Kingsway says their young family has been left “devastated” and sickened by the driver’s failure to stop. As he walked home from Asda, near the Myrekirk roundabout on Thursday,...
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Raac roof repairs could start in 2026
Work to replace roofs on a row of Monifieth houses affected by the defective building material Raac could begin early next year if councillors agree the proposals. A special meeting of Angus Council’s housing committee has been scheduled for Tuesday...
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Four on trial after man’ s fatal flat fall
A group from Dundee has gone on trial accused of crimes including causing a man to fall to his death, abduction, extortion and drug dealing. Stephen Stewart, 52, Jennifer Souter, 39, Victoria Mcgowan, 43, and 37-year-old Ramsay El-nakla – the...
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Ex-teacher avoids jail for ‘cruel and sadistic’ abuse
A “cruel and sadistic” former teacher has avoided a jail sentence after being found guilty of the historical abuse of 18 girls at a former residential school in rural Angus. Patricia Robertson, pictured, tormented youngsters at Fornethy House between...
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Controversial plan to shut school is rejected
An independent panel has rejected Dundee City Council’s plans to close a primary school, saying the local authority failed to properly consult residents. St Pius X RC Primary School in Douglas had been earmarked for closure by next summer by the...
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Dundee millionaire paid £8.2m to save distillery
A new report has revealed Dundee businessman Tony Banks, pictured, paid more than £8.2 million for award-winning distillery Eden Mill to save it from administration. In its first report into the collapse of the well-known Guardbridge firm,...
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Appeal for uni staff to be ‘realistic’ over job losses DUNDEE:
Dundee University staff and unions should take a “realistic” approach to the need for further job losses to balance the institution’s finances, the chairwoman of Scotland’s university funding body says. Professor Cara Aitchison said providing a large...
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£5 million needed for science centre building upgrades
The future of Dundee Science Centre is in doubt unless bosses can find £5 million for much-needed repairs and upgrades. Chief executive Jill Farrell told The Courier that the building is starting to show its age, with both the glass roof and elevator...
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Victim assured by FM parole system errors will be fixed
The first minister has told the survivor of Dundee murderer Robbie Mcintosh that he will remedy the mistakes of Scotland’s parole system. John Swinney yesterday heard a powerful and impassioned plea from Linda Mcdonald who survived a brutal beating at...
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Eljamel logbooks destroyed by NHS Tayside workers
The inquiry into disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel has opened with the astonishing revelation that NHS Tayside staff destroyed 40 theatre logbooks containing potentially crucial information – despite being ordered not to. Eljamel was head of neurosurgery...
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Dealer admits supplying drugs that killed Lennix
A teenager died after “bombing” wraps of ecstasy supplied by her drug-dealer boyfriend, a court has heard. Grove Academy pupil Lennix Hughes, pictured, became critically ill after ingesting MDMA at boyfriend Jay Conway’s Dundee home in March...
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Union urging council boss to reject £21k rise
A union leader is urging the chief executive of Angus Council to forgo a £21,000 pay rise dubbed “an insult to local government staff ”. A salary review for Scotland’s local authority chief executives was agreed last month for the first time in 25...
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Swans die after mystery illness at park ponds
Experts are monitoring the outbreak of a “range of potential illnesses” after several swans died in a Dundee park. Concerns were raised with the city council and the Scottish SPCA by residents over the health of the swans and cygnets at Stobsmuir...
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Huge council cuts may be on way to save £4m
A raft of swingeing cuts to public services are being considered by Dundee City Council as it bids to plug an £8.4 million shortfall. Among the cost-saving options being considered are changing the frequency of bin collections, closing school pools...
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Operation in Dundee by surgeon living in Florida
A world-first procedure has been performed in Dundee by a surgeon working in America, in what could be a life-saving breakthrough for stroke patients. Neurosurgeon Dr Ricardo Hanel carried out the thrombectomy on a human body in Dundee while working...
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Uni leader fearful of rules attached to £40m bailout
Dundee University’s principal may have to walk away from a £40 million government bailout if unworkable conditions are attached to the handout. Professor Nigel Seaton explained the tension ahead of a meeting of the Scottish Funding Council board...
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Cabbies call for CCTV in all taxis
Taxi chiefs are calling for help to roll out CCTV to every cab in Dundee after a driver was allegedly attacked and robbed. The city’s taxi trade has been left shaken after allegations two men attacked a female driver on Tuesday. Two 19-year-olds have...
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Games firm accused of ‘ruthless’ city sackings
Rockstar Games, the developer behind video game franchise Grand Theft Auto, has dismissed several employees in Dundee. The Courier understands around nine staff, who work from the Vision building at Greenmarket, have been sacked. They are among 31 UK...
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Donors helped save my life, says grateful mum
A Dundee woman who lost almost every drop of blood in her body after giving birth was saved by quick-thinking medics – and a legion of anonymous blood donors. Martine Curran, pictured, went into Ninewells Hospital to be induced with her second child –...
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Arts centre recovering after ‘existential threat’
The boss of Dundee Contemporary Arts says the cultural centre is recovering from the “existential threat” that put its future at risk. A year ago DCA was in crisis, as financial reserves fell below £900,000 despite cost-cutting measures and a loss of...
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Was rogue medic ‘experimenting’ on his patients?
Disgraced former Dundee doctor Sam Eljamel, pictured, treated patients like “guinea pigs”, it has been claimed, as a public inquiry examines whether he experimented on victims with unlicensed products. The discredited medic’s behaviour in the...
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NHS worker found dead after fire was ‘caring and loving’
Tributes have poured in for a “loving, caring” woman found dead in a property in Dundee. The body of NHS Tayside worker Natalie Egan was discovered after emergency services were called to reports of a fire in the Byron Street property shortly after...
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Body found after . fire crews called to Dundee house
A woman has been found dead inside a home in Dundee, after emergency services responded to reports of a fire early yesterday morning. Cordons were initially put in place on Byron Street and Kenmore Gardens just after 7am. White-suited forensics...
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Rape survivors slam uni for hosting men’ s group
Abertay University has launched an investigation after a controversial men’s rights group which campaigns against “wrongful” rape and sexual assault convictions was invited to speak to students. Justice for Innocent Men Scotland (Jims) gave a...
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University crisis ‘worst since Second World War’
The interim chief of Dundee University is yet to meet the SNP’S recentlyappointed higher education minister despite having to oversee what he described as the “biggest crisis facing any university since the Second World War”. Principal Nigel Seaton,...
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Widow keeps memories alive by backing cancer campaign
Within months of meeting Drew Macdonald, Leanne knew she had found her soulmate and the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. “He was the missing piece that completed me,” the 43-year-old from Broughty Ferry said. Drew, who worked as a...
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Grooming gang given lengthy jail sentences
A grooming gang who sexually exploited 10 vulnerable women and left several hooked on crack cocaine have collectively been sentenced to almost 70 years in prison. Mircea Cumpanasoiu, 37, Christian Urlateanu, 41, Alexandra Bugonea, 35, Remus Stan, 35,...
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Surge in violence and abuse aimed at traffic wardens
Parking attendants have reported a surge in threats and violence while working on Dundee’s streets. During the past year, several wardens claim they have suffered an increase in hostility, with one saying they were hit by a car and another sexually...
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Winners in The Courier Business Awards celebrate
From modest beginnings, our Business of the Year is now one of the leaders of its industry. Dundee e-commerce company Direct Soccer received the top award at last night’s black-tie Courier Business Awards ceremony. The business today is almost...
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United owner admits major regrets over tax claim row
Dundee United chairman Mark Ogren has broken his silence on the club’s tax claim controversy. Mr Ogren admitted regret that he did not press for more details of the research and development (R&D) tax claim. He said he was aware of the submissions...
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Shipbuilder forced to recruit 300 Filipinos
A dearth of skilled Scottish workers led to a Fife shipbuilder bringing in 300 welders from the Philippines. Babcock called in help from overseas earlier this year to help build the two aircraft carriers being assembled at Rosyth dockyard. The move...
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Serial offender found guilty of killing OAP
A woman who killed a frail 97-year-old man had attacked her victim before, a court has heard. Tandy Swinton, 44, pictured, was yesterday acquitted of the murder of William Lambie but convicted of the lesser offence of culpable homicide. After...
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More than 21,000 object to baby unit downgrades
A petition opposing plans to downgrade neonatal intensive care facilities at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee has now received more than 21,000 signatures. The change, which the Scottish Government claims is based on “strong clinical advice”, would see...
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College campuses plan ‘essential’ as cuts loom
Dundee and Angus College say their ambitious £265 million campus transformation plan is “essential” to the future of the institution as job cuts loom. Plans were unveiled last year to create two new campuses in Dundee and Angus, as well as expanding...
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XL bully hub boss rejects new report
The campaigner fighting to secure a licence for Scotland’s first XL bully sanctuary says issues raised in the latest critical inspection report of the Angus kennels are “misguided” and “immaterial”. All Bullie Charity Rescue will go before Angus...
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Rocker and JM Barrie linked by historic note
A priceless piece of Angus history has come home after a 95-year journey across the globe linking Peter Pan creator JM Barrie and rocker Bon Scott. The discovery is a thank-you note penned by Barrie on his return to London after receiving the Freedom...
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Retired Angus teacher guilty of abusing pupils
A retired teacher has been found guilty of historical abuse of 18 girls at former residential school Fornethy House in Angus. During her time at the school, Patricia Robertson tormented youngsters. Girls were force fed, assaulted, humiliated and left...
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Husband jailed for attempted murder of teen sweetheart
A man has been jailed for eight years for attempting to murder the childhood sweetheart he married after they reconnected following 40 years apart. The teenage romance of Alan Johnston and Kaye Ford-johnston was scuppered when Johnston moved to...
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Mother joins battle to save hospital baby unit
A Tayside mother has hit out at the Scottish Government over plans to downgrade Ninewells Hospital’s intensive care facilities for babies. Ministers are due to make a final decision by the end of next week on reducing the number of neonatal intensive...
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