The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)

Watchdog inquiry into wildlife park

A charities watchdog is launching a fresh investigation into a Perthshire wildlife park after “concerns” were raised. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) confirmed there was an “ongoing inquiry” into Auchingarrich, near Comrie. It...

Voyeur’ s sex addiction help service for pupils Offender launched ‘educational’ business days before guilty plea

A window cleaner from Perth convicted of spying on a naked child in a bathroom set up an “educational” company aiming to work with schools to raise awareness of sex and pornography addiction. Kevin Gray, pictured, established his new firm just days...

Tenant left with no toilet as ceiling ‘leaked urine’ CRIEFF: Wheelchair user lodges complaint over unhelpful emergency line

A woman with a progressive neurological disorder was unable to use her own toilet for a day as urine poured through the ceiling of her housing association flat. Wheelchair user Rachael Roy, 29, has Friedreich’s Ataxia, a condition similar to MS,...

Fire chiefs suspect blaze caused by Dyson vacuum

Fire chiefs believe a house blaze that left a 73-year-old Perthshire woman homeless was caused by a battery exploding in her cordless Dyson vacuum cleaner. Janet Thomson lost everything when fire broke out in her Rattray home in November. An internal...

Compensation call over treatment of Travellers HOUSING:

A woman whose family were forced to live in an old hut without running water and electricity during the so-called “Tinker Experiment” has said local authorities should “start seriously looking at reparations for those most affected”. Roseanna Mcphee’s...

‘Postcode lottery’ to cost mum £3k in nursery fees Son’s date of birth misses cut-off for free place starting in April

A Perth mum was shocked to discover that due to her son’s birth date, she will pay almost £3,000 more than she expected in nursery fees. Caitlin Ripley’s son, Ali, turns three in early April. However, while other threeyear-olds begin their free...

PERTH:

A former deputy lieutenant of Perth and Kinross, whose quiet dedication helped shape Perth’s cultural, charitable and civic life for more than half a century, has died aged 92. Tributes have been paid to Mary Cairncross, pictured, who played a pivotal...

Calls to reverse £1.9m hotel deal

Perth and Kinross Council’s chief executive has admitted the authority did receive other expressions of interest in its former High Street offices, despite councillors being told there was not. Now those same councillors are asking if the...

Hotel buffer zones called for after asylum protests

Perthshire MSP John Swinney will consider “buffer zones” around hotels housing asylum seekers after “disgusting” antiimmigration protests in Perth. Protesters rushed towards the Radisson Blu Hotel on Saturday and banged on the windows. The...

City asylum seeker hotel targeted by angry mob

Anti-immigration protesters charged a hotel during a tense two-hour protest near Perth city centre at the weekend. Protesters were seen banging on windows of the Radisson Blu Hotel on Saturday morning. The hotel has been targeted by a series of...

Travellers in line for apology over ‘Tinker’ project PERTHSHIRE: Children were taken away for adoption

Perth and Kinross Council is set to formally apologise to the Scottish Gypsy/traveller community for its role in the so-called “Tinker Experiment” of the 20th Century. The controversial series of social policies attempted to forcibly settle groups...

Hockey players enjoy frosty fun on frozen pond

As free]ing temperatures hit Tayside people headed out to make the most of the winter weather. 6ome took advantage of the conditions to have an impromptu game of ice hockey on the 6wannie 3onds in 'undee, while others in .irriemuir and 3itlochry dug...

Flurry of fun at Glenshee

Wintry weather continued yesterday with heavy snowfall hitting many areas as the mercury plummeted. The big freeze swept across many areas of Perth and Kinross, Tayside and Fife, resulting in travel disruption. Many took advantage of the opportunity...

Perth park and ride hits 1,000 drivers with fines

Perth Broxden Park and Ride users have been slapped with more than 1,000 parking fines in the last four years. The figures were obtained by The Courier through a freedom of information request made to Perth and Kinross Council. Some 1,090 parking...

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...

Family of missing man still hopeful for return PERTH:

The family of a Perth man missing for two weeks is hoping they will still get their son home safely. Declyn Cunningham was last seen at the city’s Smeaton’s Bridge in the early hours of Thursday December 18. Extensive searches have taken place along...

Council boss’ s tribute to wife after flu death

The leader of Perth and Kinross Council has paid tribute to “the wind beneath his wings” after the death of his wife, aged 62. Following complications brought on by a bout of flu, Elizabeth Drysdale died in Ninewells Hospital on Boxing Day. The...

Man charged after fire guts Carse house

$ man has been charged after a house in the &arse of *owrie was allegedly set on fire. 7he bla]e broke out in a detached house at :est *range, near (rrol, just before 4am yesterday. Six fire engines and a height appliance attended and seyeral crew...

FM says families need answers on fatal hotel blaze

First Minister John Swinney, pictured, is pressing Scotland’s police chief for answers over what caused a fatal hotel fire in Perth. Three people died in the New County Hotel blaze on January 2 2023 – sisters Donna Janse Van Rensburg, 44, and Sharon...

Speeder tore along path in city centre

An “idiot” banned driver 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 drove away from police and down several streets at well above...

Roads around scene of fatal fire likely to reopen in February

Roads surrounding the scene of a fatal fire in Perth city centre could finally reopen in mid-february, the local authority has said. Sections of South Street and Scott Street have remained closed since June, when a major fire tore through a block of...

Race for waste deal as landfill ban imminent

Perth and Kinross Council is scrambling to complete an 11th-hour deal for a waste contractor just days before a national landfill ban kicks in. The local authority had signed a £50m, 10-year contract with Paprec Energies Binn in 2023 to turn...

Full steam ahead to Christmas on Polar Express

Dozens turned out as The Polar Express Train Ride took place in Brechin. The event on Sunday December 14 saw families and children board the festive train experience at Caledonian Railway, enjoy hot chocolate and freshly baked cookies, meet dancing...

NHS shredding ban after Eljamel fiasco

NHS Tayside bosses have issued an urgent notice to all staff banning the shredding of documents after theatre logbooks that may have proved crucial to the Eljamel public inquiry were destroyed. The health board sparked fury among victims of disgraced...

Businesses fear for the future in aftermath of fatal fire

Several Perth business owners are fearing for the future six months on from a fatal fire that decimated their trade. Scott Street and South Street have remained closed since the blaze in June, leaving business owners describing the remainder of the...

Perth cabbies claim 24 new licences will ‘devastate’ city trade

Perth cabbies have warned a scheme to allocate 24 new taxi licence plates in the city could be “devastating” for local trade and residents. Councillors on Perth and Kinross licensing committee unanimously voted in favour of the plan this week, in a...

Jeweller blames shop closure on roads disruption

The owner of a Perth jewellery shop has blamed the store’s impending closure on a lack of footfall since a fatal fire in June. Amoha, a Celtic jewellery and gemstone shop, pictured, has operated on South Street for more than a year. Owner Ishane Vali...

Council group leader ousted after hotel row

The Liberal Democrat leader of Perth and Kinross Council has been ousted, along with his wife, in a row over the hotel plan for the former council chambers building. Peter Barrett, pictured, left the public “astonished” when he spoke in favour of the...

Perth fan sees match for first time with VR headset

A partially-sighted football fan from Perth has described the “emotional” moment he saw his team play for the first time through his own eyes. Jon Attenborough, pictured, who has no sight in his right eye and limited vision in his left, was at...

Only One Great Thing:

Big Country lead guitarist stakes a claim on band’s sound

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...

£1.9m of public cash agreed for hotel developer

Councillors have approved a controversial deal to pay £1.9 million in order to turn the former council chambers in Perth into a luxury hotel. Perth and Kinross councillors voted in favour of an agreement with London-based hotel developer Lock Terrace...

Butcher keeps Cadbury sweet after haggis ad row

A Perthshire butcher incurred the wrath of confectionery giant Cadbury over a spoof advert promoting a new chocolate haggis product. Simon Howie unveiled its haggis-shaped chocolate brownie pudding in January 2024 to coincide with Burns Night. As...

Police officer jailed after taking home seized guns

A police constable has been jailed after he took home six shotguns surrendered to him by a member of the public. Alan Sharp, pictured, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison after earlier admitting three Firearms Act charges related to...

Palace owner to flaunt destination Perthshire

The owner of Scone Palace is spearheading a mission to put Perthshire on the tourist map. William Murray, Viscount Stormont, is driving a strategy to highlight everything the area has to offer. He believes Perthshire should be seen as a destination...

Council tax payers may see 9.5% hike

Perth and Kinross Council is proposing a 9.5% council tax rise next year. The council has opened a consultation on its budget proposals for 2026-27 and says it wants to know about people’s spending priorities – and the areas where they would be...

NEGLIGENCE: Health board told to pay compensation

A judge has ordered NHS Tayside to pay compensation to a Perth family after finding the health board responsible for its daughter’s cerebral palsy. Maisie Wilkie, 15, developed the condition due to a lack of oxygen at birth in a midwifery-led unit at...

Couple’ s family dream shattered by visa rules

A Perth couple say new UK settlement laws have shattered their dream of starting a family in Scotland. Nawodh Jayasinghe, 30, came to Scotland from Sri Lanka in December 2022 to be with his wife, Lowdini Gunawaradhana, who was studying at the time....

Secrecy row over publicly-paid car for EX-UHI chief

UHI Perth has been caught up in a secrecy row on the day its former principal faces a grilling from Holyrood MSPS over the institution’s financial struggles. The college refused to release the findings of a probe into ex-depute principal Lorenz...

Ex-council director paid £125k for six-month role

A former Perth and Kinross Council director was paid a six-figure sum for six months’ work before the role was scrapped without a single piece of local authority paperwork. Alison Williams, pictured, received a total of £125,543 for her spell as...

Developer angry over losses on Thimblerow

The developer chosen for an abandoned £30 million Thimblerow transformation project has criticised Perth and Kinross Council over “cynical” plans to build a new leisure centre at the site. Expresso Property claims it has been left hundreds of...

Police called in over deleted Eljamel data

NHS Tayside has reported itself to Police Scotland following the destruction of potentially vital documents. The move comes after it was revealed on the first day of the inquiry into the actions of Sam Eljamel that 40 theatre logbooks had been binned...

PERTH: Pupil alarmed after seeing 16-year-old take gun from backpack

A 16-year-old brought a firearm to class after telling a friend he wanted to “shoot up the school”. Classmates at the Perth secondary were alarmed by Patrikas Jakstas’ chilling Snapchat video showing him discharging the weapon – described as a gas...

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...

Council rejects ‘absurd’ claims on asylum flats

Perth and Kinross Council says rumours around asylum seekers being moved into vacant flats in Perth are “absurd”. Online speculation claimed occupants of the Station Hotel and Best Western Queens Hotel would be moved into Kingdom Housing Association...

Still no support on NHS ‘centres of excellence’

First Minister John Swinney has been urged to speed up work on supporting hospitals in Perth and Angus almost a year after making the pledge to turn them into “centres of excellence”. Mr Swinney promised to create centres of excellence to cut waiting...

‘Wilful’ blaze destroys gardening team’ s shed

Police are investigating a fire that destroyed a shed containing gardening equipment at Crieff Community Garden. Firefighters attended the blaze at the garden, off Monteath Street, around 10pm on Friday. Volunteer Catriona Smith revealed that the...

Firefighter, 34, found guilty of trying to rape woman in alley

A disgraced Perth firefighter is behind bars after being found guilty of trying to drag a woman down a darkened alleyway with the intention of raping her. Serial sex attacker Jamie Scott snorted cocaine before “prowling the streets of Dundee” in the...

Police officer may face jail for taking home guns cache

A serving firearms officer has admitted taking home shotguns handed in to police for destruction. Alan Sharp was a constable with the Firearms and Explosive Licensing Department in Perth and was caught after a search of his family home in 2022. The...

Judge rejects Traveller move to block brewery

A judge has dismissed a second bid to block a new brewery next to a historic Gypsy Traveller site in Pitlochry. A judicial review was sought by Roseanna Mcphee after Perth and Kinross Council agreed to Wasted Degrees Brewing’s plans. Ms Mcphee is a...

Mother’ s tribute to ‘vibrant’ daughter

A mother believes her “vibrant, beautiful and amazing” daughter did not get enough support with her mental health before taking her own life. Emily Kerr, 24, pictured, was found dead in her Rattray home just over a week ago by her mum Dawn...

Robber trapped inside shop by brave worker

A quick-thinking newsagent worker trapped an armed robber inside a Perth shop as he tried to flee with cash from the till. Jay Bentley, 33, was masked and wearing sunglasses when he held up a staff member at knifepoint at the County News store....

Musk AI bot’ s apology to MP after ‘rape’ slur

Perthshire MP Pete Wishart has received an apology from Elon Musk’s AI bot after it labelled him a “rape enabler”. Mr Wishart started a conversation with the bot on Tuesday night after its response to another social media user, who asked if it would...

Trans inmate took life after being segregated

A transgender female prisoner took her own life after being unlawfully segregated amid a dispute over an unwanted transfer to a women’s prison, a sheriff has ruled. Sarah Jane Riley died shortly before her 29th birthday on January 12 2019, while in...

TV presenter and dance legends to turn on city lights

The stars set to kick off Perth’s Christmas celebrations have been revealed for this year. TV presenter Stephen Mulhern and dance superstars Cascada, both pictured, will be among the entertainers during the annual lights switch-on weekend. It is the...

The Great Prize Auction

Body found after crews respond to house fire call-out

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...

Son ‘locked’ in hospital for 14 years, says mum

A Perth mum says her autistic son is being "locked away" at the Dundee hospital he has lived in for more than 14 years. Susan Lang accused Perth and Kinross Council of "failing" her son Steven Laing, pictured, after a "funding gap" stopped him moving...

Woman found guilty of child abuse and neglect

A woman who attacked children in her care, including shoving one girl’s head into a sink filled with hot water and crockery, has been found guilty of child assault and neglect. Danielle Mckenna, 39, pictured, claimed the children and other witnesses...

MSP says complaint over post ‘wasted police time’

A Perthshire MSP has accused political opponents of whipping up “manufactured outrage” after being told he will not face any further police action over a social media post about sacked Rangers manager Russell Martin. Murdo Fraser, pictured, was...

Light aircraft crash kills 81-year-old pilot

An 81-year-old man has died after the light aircraft he was flying crashed near Kinross. Crews, including firefighters and paramedics, were called to the incident at the Scottish Gliding Centre at Scotlandwell just before 2pm yesterday. The man was...

Charity stalwart jailed for sexual attack on woman

A once-respected community stalwart who launched a long-standing charity cycle race in Kinross-shire has been jailed for raping a woman while she suffered an epileptic fit. While his victim was suffering a seizure and in no state to give consent, Paul...

Winners in The Courier

F rom 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...

Trader back in business after Perth blaze ordeal

A Perth business has thanked the city for “rallying around us” in the months after the fatal Scott Street fire. Perth Photo Lab, which has operated as a business for 50 years, has been under the ownership of Shaun Ward, pictured, since 2022. The...

Shipbuilder has to employ 300 Filipino welders

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. And the...

Dad’ s mission after death of epileptic son

A father has spoken of his heartbreak after finding his son dead from epilepsy at the age of just 31. Alex Robinson died suddenly on July 22 from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (Sudep). Alex was diagnosed with photosensitive epilepsy at the age...

Second quake shakes homes in Perthshire ‘Underground subway’ noise heard during 3.7-magnitude event

Homes across Perthshire were rocked by a second earthquake yesterday in less than 12 hours. A 3.7-magnitude quake was recorded at Pubil, near Loch Lyon, at 5.06pm after the first one measuring 3.3 magnitude was recorded at 7.25am and was felt in...

Asylum protest is led by Pink Ladies

More than 100 protesters have taken part in the latest anti-immigration march through Perth city centre. Pink Ladies and Perth’s Peaceful Protest were among groups taking part. They say they have concerns over asylum seekers being housed in hotels in...

Hotel hits back at pay shame claims

A Perthshire hotel has fired back after being named by HMRC on a list of businesses accused of underpaying staff. Crieff Hydro was one of 500 UK businesses that the UK Government says failed to pay the national minimum wage. But bosses say they have...

£300k safety upgrade at Perth park and ride

A Perth junction near to a park-and-ride depot that sees 1,944 bus or coach departures a week is set for £300,000 of improvements next year. The news comes after bus operators raised fears about access to the fast-growing junction leading to Broxden....

Retired school 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...

Perthshire man disenchanted by visitors’ parking

A Pitlochry man has hit out at Enchanted Forest visitors taking up vital hospital parking spaces. Parking at Pitlochry Community Hospital has become almost impossible since the light show began, says Brian Colbert. The 78-year-old visits the Ferry...

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...

Case against ex-wildlife park manager dropped

Police say they will not be taking action against a former manager of a Perthshire wildlife park who claims his turkeys were battered to death. Announcing he quit after reporting the park’s owners to police on July 1, Kevin Campbell left Auchingarrich...