The Scotsman

Five Years' Jail for Grandmother Who Kept Father's Wartime Memento Gun

A WOMAN who claimed she had hidden a gun under her mattress to keep it away from her grandchildren was jailed for five years yesterday. Gail Cochrane, 53, said she inherited the weapon, a German military pistol, when her father died. He had served in the Royal Navy and the handgun was a "war trophy" which she held while thinking of him.

Historic Walk to Bogside Estate by Protestants

PROTESTANT church leaders yesterday made a pilgrimage to Londonderry's Bogside in a moving and historic gesture they hoped would symbolise fresh hope for Northern Ireland after the Saville inquiry. A trinity of clergymen representing the Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist traditions travelled to the Catholic enclave where the Bloody Sunday shootings took place.

Scottish Film Industry 'has to Maintain Its Profile'

THE Scottish producer of The Illusionist has called for Scotland to urgently establish a "shop window" to keep its profile in the film industry after the demise of the national film agency, Scottish Screen. Bob Last, pictured below, who helped raise the film's GBP 14 million budget, said Scotland would be almost alone among Europe's nations or regions without a film body.

Salmond Unveils Gbp 8m Fund to Boost Number of Green Vehicles

A FUND of nearly GBP 8 million to promote the use of environmentally friendly vehicles was announced by Alex Salmond yesterday. The First Minister revealed details of two new schemes that will help both public bodies and bus companies to increase their green vehicle fleets.

Gbp 800k Fall in Cash Seized From Crime Gangs

THE total sum of money seized from Scotland's criminal gangs through the Proceeds of Crime Act has fallen to a four-year low. A total of GBP 5.5 million was confiscated in 2009-10, down from over GBP 6.3m the previous year.

Critic's Choice

Bard in the Botanics, Botanic Gardens, Glasgow, 23 June until 31 July. IT'S time to break out the midge repellent and invest in a pack- a-mac, as Gordon Barr's intrepid company launch their latest summer season of outdoor Shakespeare in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens. The 2010 season opens with King Lear, followed by Queen Margaret, a new devised version of the history plays directed by Jennifer Dick; and as ever, audiences can expect a rich and beautiful synergy between Shakespeare's dramatic ver...

Plan for Billionaires' Highland Hideaway Is Thrown Out

AMBITIOUS proposals to transform one of the most remote stretches of Highland Perthshire into a GBP 1.3 billion private playground for the world's super-rich lay in ruins last night. Members of Perth and Kinross Council voted at a special meeting to throw out controversial plans for the Dall Estate on the shores of Loch Rannoch.

Killing of Protected Shetland Seals Leads to Hunt for Gunman

SIX seals have been slaughtered on Shetland by someone using a high-powered rifle, in a major blow for wildlife conservation on the islands. Two of the common seals, whose numbers are already in alarming decline in the Northern Isles, were females carrying full-term pups. All six had been shot in the head.

Aged Virgins to Lose Out As Odder Charity Pots Merged

AGED virgins and widows of decayed burgesses must be thin on the ground on the streets of Aberdeen these days. For their absence has left Aberdeen City Council in a quandary over the future of two charitable trusts, set up in their honour four centuries ago.

Wide Support for Study's Finding On Tougher Drink-Driving Levels

A REDUCTION in drink-drive levels has moved a step closer after being backed by an influential review. The Scottish Government has welcomed Sir Peter North's recommendation that the legal limit be cut from 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, to 50mg.

Theatre Adds Its Magic to Film Festival

THE Edinburgh International Film Festival returned to the heart of the city last night in one of its most glamorous opening galas in years with the world premiere of The Illusionist, an animated masterpiece described as a "love song to Edinburgh and Scotland". Celebrity guests arriving at Edinburgh's Festival Theatre ranged from festival patron Sir Sean Connery, to Ugly Betty star America Ferrera.

Conservative Mep Calls for Greater Parity in Representation at European Parliament

THE Maltese are ten times more influential at the heart of the Europe Union than the British, a Scottish MEP has claimed. Struan Stevenson said the way seats were allocated in the European Parliament meant that smaller states such as Malta were "hugely over-represented" while major funders of the EU missed out unfairly.

Briefing Board

NEWS COMPLAINTS to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman increased by 12 per cent last year, with the number of completed inquiries also rising, according to official figures.

Gbp 7m John O' Groats Plan Keeps On Going to End of the Road

WORK could start later this year on the latest plans to give John o' Groats a facelift to match its status as a tourist magnet. For years the end-of-the-road destination has been trying to shake off its "ghost ship" image to offer visitors better facilities.

Joyce Macmillan On Theatre: Crying with Laughter

A comedy with tragic undertones, William Inge's classic play makes a triumphant entrance on the Scottish stage BUS STOP ****

Tributes to Three Latest Afghanistan Casualties

TRIBUTES were paid last night after the Ministry of Defence named three soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Corporal Taniela Tolevu Rogoiruwai, 32, and Kingsman Ponipate Tagitaginimoce, 29, both from Fiji and serving with 1st Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, died in separate incidents in Nad- e Ali on Tuesday.

Shamed Msp Quits Job After Storm Over His Comments About Woman

A SENIOR Labour MSP has stepped down as the chairman of a Holyrood committee after being caught describing a woman at a Scottish Parliament hearing as "very attractive". Former minister Frank McAveety also quit his role as Labour's sports spokesman after the incident, in which a microphone picked up remarks he made to a clerk during a gap in the proceedings of the public petitions committee.

Daughter's Horror at Finding Killer Father After Failed Murder Suicide

A DAUGHTER rushed to her parents' home after hearing they had been found dead on their blood-spattered bed, a court was told yesterday. Joanne Greenhill arrived to see her mother and father lying motionless, their heads together, with a knife nearby. But there was an even greater shock when her father's eyes opened and she realised he was still breathing.

Osborne Tells City of Strident Finance and Banking Reform

CHANCELLOR George Osborne last night set out a dramatic reform of financial services regulation in a bid to ensure that the UK never again experiences a collapse of its banking sector. In the annual Mansion House speech delivered by the UK chancellor, the latest occupant of Number 11 gave one of the bluntest addresses in the event's history. His tone was matched by the Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, with both men warning that the financial crisis which started almost exactly th...

Coastguards Called Out As Fishermen Burn Old Flares

COASTGUARDS have criticised fishermen who sparked an emergency call out by burning out-of-date distress flares in a bonfire. Stornoway air traffic control (ATC) alerted the coastguard yesterday that an aircraft had spotted green flares being fired near Brevig harbour in Lewis.