Pet ban for neglectful Fife owner after underfed bulldog put to sleep
Steven Wolohan admitted causing the dog called Hugo unnecessary suffering at his home in Dunbeath Drive.
A police officer carrying out a welfare check alerted the Scottish SPCA after finding the 27-year-old's pet in a room strewn with faeces.
Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard that Wolohan's home had been inspected by the animal welfare charity about a year earlier.
Wolohan appeared in the dock to admit a charge under Section 19 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
The offender, who according to his lawyer 'wasn't keeping on top of his own affairs,' was spared jail, but banned from keeping animals for five years.
Prosecutor Christine Allan said a SSPCA inspector received an anonymous call on June 17, 2022.
The caller reported a dog in poor condition which was often left alone for long periods and never walked.
Wolohan was reluctant to let the inspector inside his home, but agreed to bring seven-year-old Hugo to the door.
The dog was in good condition but had an ear issue which Wolohan was advised to have treated by a vet.
When the inspector returned 11 days later, Wolohan revealed he hadn't taken Hugo to a vet as he had to pay for dog food instead.
He was given a large bag of dog food by the inspector but subsequently stopped responding to calls and cards.
More than a year later, the charity was again asked to attend at Wolohan's home – this time by a police officer carrying out a welfare check.
The PC reported that on August 4 in 2023, Hugo was found shut away in a bedroom in poor condition and was in a home full of mouldy faeces.
The kitchen was dirty with rubbish and appliances strewn around the floor, the hallway had various items rolled up and in the living room there were multiple piles of faeces, including diarrhoea.
The property smelled of urine and faeces.
Hugo was found lying on a dirty bed in an upstairs bedroom with rubbish and beer cans on the floor.
He was removed from the property while police continued to search for Wolohan.
Hugo was taken to St Clair Veterinary Practice in Kirkcaldy and assessed by Dr Melanie Tardif-Faessel.
She found that although Hugo should have weighed between 35 and 40kg, he was in fact only 28kg.
He scored 2/9 on the Purina scale, his ribs were visible and he'd lost muscle mass.
Hugo had sores on his paw pads, mild periodontal disease and dandruff.
His ear condition had worsened and it wasn't possible to examine inside with an otoscope due to the discharge of pus and abnormal narrowing.
The vet found Hugo's dietary needs hadn't been being met for weeks.
He continued to receive treatment at the Scottish SPCA clinic but a decision was taken later that month to euthanise him.
At an earlier hearing, Wolohan admitted that between June 17 2022 and August 4 2023, he caused a dog he was responsible for to suffer unnecessarily by an act or omission.
He failed to provide the dog with appropriate care and treatment, in particular adequate nutrition whereby the dog lost body weight.
He also failed to obtain vet advice or treatment for the dog for a number of health conditions including ulcerated ear canals, body weight loss and loss of muscle mass.
Prosecutors previously accepted Wolohan's not guilty plea to a second charge of failing to take reasonable steps in the circumstances to ensure the welfare of the dog.
Wolohan's lawyer Martin McGuire said: 'It's fair to say during the course of 2022 and 2023, Mr Wolohan's personal circumstances had deteriorated.
'He wasn't taking care of himself, let alone the dog.
'Mr Wolohan found himself in a situation where he was drinking to excess and there was substance misuse.
'He wasn't maintaining his own affairs.
'He was in a state of depression, he simply wasn't able to progress matters.
'As he understands, the court can impose a period of imprisonment today. The matter does clearly reach the custody threshold.'
Sheriff Mark Allan imposed a direct alternative to custody, ordering Wolohan to complete 150 hours of unpaid work over the next year.
He also placed Wolohan under supervision for a year and on an 8pm to 6am curfew every night for six months.
The sheriff also furnished Wolohan with a pet ban.
He said: 'Mr McGuire is absolutely right to acknowledge on your behalf that this offence passes the custody threshold.
'But for the fact that there is available a significant and stringent package of community-based disposals, you would otherwise be going to prison for this offence.
'Because of the severity of the matter before the court, the harm and suffering caused to this animal, you will be disqualified from owning or keeping an animal for a period of five years from today.'
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Inside Britain's deadliest gang: Meet the mobsters who gun down rivals, firebomb homes and attack innocent children on our streets
Scotland has been embroiled in a savage gangland feud with warring clans fighting over control of the drugs market in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The bloodshed has even spilled across the continent with two mobsters executed while enjoying a holiday in Spain. One gang, calling themselves Tamo Junto (TMJ), has claimed responsibility for a series of shootings, fire bombings and attacks on children. The crew share sick boasts of their horrific crimes on social media with videos on TikTok. Speaking after a 12-year-old was seriously assaulted at a house in Glasgow, one of the crew bragged to the Daily Mail: 'F*** 'em mate, it's called caught in the crossfire of war.' He added: 'You're talking like innocent people are being attacked n hurt which is not true at all.' Thankfully, the child survived. But sadly for Scotland, this gang war has shown no signs of stopping. Tamo Junto's leader is a football hooligan who fled Scotland for Dubai with the threat of drug charges hanging over him. What he offers his crew is a shot at the big time. But Tamo Junto hoods unleashed hell on the streets when their boss Ross 'Miami' McGill, also known as Mr Big, ordered them to kill his rivals: the Richardson clan in Edinburgh and the Daniel clan in Glasgow. McGill felt he had been disrespected. He had just brokered a £500,000 cocaine deal in February this year when he realised the cash used was fake. A former gangster told the Daily Mail: 'When you disrespect someone, they have no choice but to kill you.' McGill had the same thought, and he wasted little time. On March 6, masked thugs threw Molotov cocktails through the windows of the Belle Cheveux beauty salon in Edinburgh, which is run by Stephanie Dignan, the girlfriend of rival kingpin Mark Richardson. McGill's Tamo Junto lieutenants claimed responsibility and said their mission was to 'exterminate' the Richardsons and Daniels. Scores of gangland attacks have followed and the Lyons clan, who are the Daniels' arch-rivals and fellow Kinahan Cartel allies, have joined Miami's call to arms. A revenge plot even saw the war spread to the gangster hub of the Costa Del Sol, where Lyons bosses Eddie Lyons Jr, 46, and Ross Monaghan, 43, were gunned down in a mafia-style execution. In one post, the group said 'this is what happens to rats' with an image of the Scottish Scarface Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel, who had his face almost sliced off with a meat cleaver by a rival gangster Spanish police have said the suspected killer was a member of the Daniels clan. But despite the rift between the warring factions, a TikTok account loyal to the Daniels and Richardsons refused to 'grass' on Tamo Junto by revealing their rivals' identities. Instead, they too bragged about the revenge attacks carried out in Scotland and Spain. Speaking about the two Lyons bosses' murders, the rival account said: 'Let's laugh at Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons [three crying with laughter emojis]. 'F*** Ross, f*** Eddie and f*** the Lyons, f*** Ross McGill and f*** TMJ.' The police has stepped up its investigations into the mobsters and arrested at least 50 people so far. However, this is a war between gangsters who live by a mafia code of silence. A source close to the Daniel crime family told the Mail this wave of tit-for-tat violence has no end in sight. Speaking to our reporter in the heart of the clan's territory, he furrowed his brow, smirked and simply said: 'It'll never change.' WHAT IS HAPPENING? Scotland is being torn apart by a violent gang war. Machete attacks, firebombs and shootings are the new normal on the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh. In February, Dubai-based gangster Ross 'Miami' McGill, also known as Mr Big, was allegedly swindled out of £500,000 of cocaine by associates of jailed Edinburgh kingpin Mark Richardson when they paid for the drugs with counterfeit cash. Before this year, McGill was not considered a major mobster. He was a former Rangers hooligan who had posed with Steven Gerrard and fled Scotland around four years ago, supposedly afraid he would be arrested on drug charges. Lyons gangsters Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, (left) and Ross Monaghan, 43, (right) were shot dead by a masked gunman while they were watching the Champions League final at Monaghans Irish pub in Fuengirola, Spain on May 31 The shooting took place in front of terrified locals and tourists at the popular Costa del Sol bar The two gangsters' families shared loving tributes to their murdered gangland relatives Lyons associate Liam Boyle, 44, (centre) was seen arriving at the gangland funerals in a silver Mercedes limousine Since then, he has capitalised on the jailing of key drug bosses such as Glasgow's Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson as well as Richardson to take control of much of Scotland's cocaine supply. McGill allegedly put £100,000 bounties on the heads of the Richardsons and their Glasgow allies the Daniel family, which is run by the Scottish Scarface Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel. McGill teamed up with the Daniels' arch-enemy, the Lyons mob, also from Glasgow and allied with the infamous Irish Kinahan Cartel, and told his gang of secretive thugs Tamo Junto (TMJ) to wage a fierce gang war to 'eradicate' the Richardsons and the Daniels. Since March 2, there have been dozens of firebombs, machete attacks — and even a double murder. TIKTOK TARGETS A little more than a month after the first firebomb in this deadly gang war, a mysterious post appeared on TikTok. It was a warning to all members of the Daniels and Richardsons. 'Every associate, every business will be targeted,' it said. 'Leave Scotland immediately.' It was released by an account calling itself Tamo Junto (TMJ) with a profile picture of a skull painted with the Scottish flag over the top of a pair of crossed automatic guns in place of bones. The people running these accounts appear to have strong knowledge of the gangland underworld and the key - and lower level - mobsters involved. For months, TikTok accounts claiming to represent TMJ and their rivals have posted death threats to the Daniels and Richardsons, boasts about injuring their rivals and videos of firebombings. After the Daily Mail pointed out these accounts to TikTok, the social media giant banned them, although new ones were created within hours. The people running the accounts bragged to the Mail about murdering and maiming their gangland enemies - and even tried to justify hurting children. The account calls its rivals 'rats' and has included the hashtags '#gangster' and '#tmjdisorder' in its posts It recently issued another warning to its rivals, stating: 'We are coming for you' It all started in February, when the drug deal that started this war took place and Ross McGill was allegedly duped out of £500k worth of cocaine. Then, on February 26, at 39 minutes past midnight, the Tamo Junto TikTok account was created. Four days later, the attacks started. Whether or not the owners of the account are actually the gangsters part of the vicious crew is difficult to verify. But the Mail believes the Tamo Junto TikTok is run by a trio of well-known gangsters with a history of carrying out firebombing attacks long before this war started. On April 10, the account posted: 'Keep it going lads keep the heat on these rats who have stolen that stuff no f… giving [sic]. 'Like it says ever[y]one who's got or had problems with these two dirty rotten mobs should come together n stick together I'm right up for that ma boy as nothing more than my hate for both these mobs. 'I'm loving seeing them on the run being hit in pocket n everything being put on fire. Yass don't stop keeping the heat on lads.' Then on April 15, they said: 'Exterminate the Daniel virus. To be continued...' On April 29, TMJ posted a video of a firebombing with a caption of: 'Let's get this stage two rocking n rolling lads, up the TMJ, gets [these] rats gone forever'. On May 20, it praised a machete attack on two men, one of whom is believed to be a top-ranking Daniels family member, as a 'fine day' and 'a little bit of justice'. Just days before, on May 14, the account posted a news report about the firebombing of the ex-wife of slain Daniels enforcer Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll, adding it was 'just what we love to see'. It is understood a young boy was in the house at the time but he was not injured. On June 11, the group posted a video with two suspected rival gangsters with targets on their heads in the latest death threat posted on TikTok. At the time of writing, TMJ has published 63 TikToks, including death threats against all of the Daniels and Richardsons, who they call a 'virus' and 'rats' that need to be 'gone forever'. Their videos have been watched more than 1.6 million times. MESSAGES FROM THE MOB When the Daily Mail approached the TMJ account, they were initially suspicious our reporter could be a 'mole' for jailed mob boss Mark Richardson. However, they soon became chatty and almost childlike in their enthusiasm for their account. 'No one knows who's behind the TMJ2025 account, it's cool,' they said. 'Stay faceless n fearless n do our talking on the streets.' However, after being challenged on the gangland feud bringing violence to the streets, the suspected gangsters snapped back. The TMJ account said: 'You're talking like innocent people are being attacked n hurt which is not true at all.' On April 12, a 12-year-old and a 72-year-old were seriously assaulted at a house in Glasgow. When we put this to Tamo Junto, they said the child was simply 'caught in the crossfire of war'. They said: 'Listen that was a Daniels house who has been hiding her son in da house with young kids. 'Them Daniels aw beast b******s. F*** em mate, it's called caught in the crossfire of war.' This beauty salon in Glasgow was targeted by a firebomb in April. Police discovered a cannabis farm in an unconnected neighbouring house Yet despite the fierce rivalry between the gangs in this gangland war, the mafia code of silence remains strong. When the Mail approached a rival TikTok account claiming to be connected to the Richardsons and Daniels about Tamo Junto, the suspected gangster running the account, which was called ' - a sarcastic dig at Ross 'Miami/Mr Big' McGill - refused to reveal his rivals' identities. Although he said Tamo Junto were 'w********s [and] grasses', he said he wouldn't give up their names. Talking about slain Lyons gang bosses Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jr, who were killed in a Costa del Sol bar on May 31, he added: 'F*** Ross Monaghan and f*** Eddie Lyons Jr. F*** them all. I ain't no grass. 'Let's laugh at Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons [three crying with laughter emojis]. 'F*** Ross, f*** Eddie and f*** the Lyons, f*** Ross McGill and f*** TMJ.' WILL INNOCENT PEOPLE BE HURT? This cavalier attitude to the law could heighten the danger to innocent members of the public. A former Glasgow police detective, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Daily Mail: 'People are just collateral damage if you get in the way. That's just how cold and callous [mobsters] are. 'If it all goes horribly wrong with [the Daniels and Richardsons] and there's a vacuum, someone is going to fill it. 'Where there's money to be made, there will be serious and organised crime. If a vacuum is created, there could be a power struggle.' Explaining the gangsters' mindsets, former international drug smuggler turned Harley Street addiction counsellor Mark Dempster said: 'You get people whose egos are fragile. 'It's no different to when you have mafia - when you disrespect someone, they have no choice but to kill you. It's all about feeding the egos for the people in power. 'No matter how much any [crime] family gets, they want more. It's the same process of expanding their empire. They have got to commit violence.' He added: 'They get put on a pedestal. Young people want to be involved and think violence will go unpunished. '[Gangsters] drive nice cars, they have nice girlfriends and there appears to be no justice.' Dempster said the shameless flaunting of their wealth 'continues the same dysfunction for the next generation'. A source close to the Daniel crime family agreed. He told the Daily Mail that the existence of gang crime in Glasgow would 'never change'. Another reformed Scottish gangster said: 'We've got kids ourselves now and don't want them to grow up in this environment. 'I'm not on social media but I don't agree with it. We'd rather our kids join the army and die fighting for their country rather than live a bad lifestyle of crime the gangster way. 'You don't want your kids to be bad . You want your kids to go to university or do the opposite. 'Because you have got money sometimes the kids can live off that and end up bad cause they don't want to work themselves.' His wife added: 'I don't agree with young kids thinking this is a superstar lifestyle. It's not all glamorous.' Nevertheless, many join these gangs to enjoy a life of fast cars, beautiful women and sunny holidays. The Mail recently visited the gangster hub of Marbella on the Costa Del Sol. There, a British gangster in the region said: 'It's a good place to meet people. It's like a permanent convention for guys in the game. 'You go to a pub or a bar and you never know what sort of gig could fall in your lap. 'As long as you know when to keep your mouth shut, it's a fun place to be. It's the gangster life - get a tan, find a girl, make some money.' He added: 'You'll find loads of gangs in Marbella. Obviously, there was the Fuengirola shooting not far away as well. 'Even so, the ladies love it too. You just have to make sure you're not caught out, like if your missus is staying when certain women are about.' TikTok's community guidelines prohibit violent threats, promotion of violence, incitement to violence, or promotion of criminal activities that may harm people, animals or property. As a result of the Daily Mail's investigation, the social media platform banned both accounts, TMJ2025 and for violating TikTok's community guidelines. Despite TikTok's ban, at least one new account appearing to be run by the same people was created just hours later. THE KEY PLAYERS Ross 'Miami' McGill AKA Mr Big The man at the centre of the violent gang war is believed to be Ross McGill, a Rangers football hooligan who headed up the team's ultras group the Union Bears. He quit as the Union Bears 'lead capo' in 2021 and was treated to a personal goodbye from then-manager Steven Gerrard. It is believed he fled to Spain in 2022 as a court date approached in Scotland for allegations he was involved in serious organised crime and drug dealing. He then moved to Dubai, where Lyons gang boss Steven Lyons and members of the Kinahan Cartel also live. It is thought he was joined in Spain and Dubai by his girlfriend, Olivia Newall, whose cousin Lloyd Cross is the right-hand man of Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson. Both Cross and Iceman were jailed last year for their part in a £100m cocaine smuggling plot. Cross is close friends with McGill, grew up less than a mile away from him in Glasgow and was also part of the Union Bears. Tamo Junto (TMJ) Tamo Junto is McGill's secretive violent gang. TMJ for short, the gang's name means 'We are together' in Portuguese, although it remains unclear why the name was chosen. They have claimed responsibility for a string of firebombings, shootings and machete attacks in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Ross McGill's gangsters in Scotland have filmed themselves setting homes on fire in their campaign of violence In Edinburgh, one home's window had a visible bullet hole (pictured) after an attack in March. Police Scotland have arrested at least 50 people in connection with the violence in Glasgow and Edinburgh The gang's alleged TikTok account has published calls to 'eradicate' the Daniels and Richardsons and has published death threats against specific gangsters. It is believed the account is run by three criminals with experience of firebombings before this gangland war broke out, however it has not been possible to verify that the people behind the account are the same as the thugs wreaking havoc on the streets as they have said. Steven Lyons The suspected head of the Lyons gang, Steven is the son of former mob boss Eddie Lyons Sr. Despite his connections to the gang, he has never been convicted of a serious crime. He fled Scotland to Spain in 2006 after he was shot at his uncle's garage in Glasgow. His 21-year-old cousin Michael was shot dead in the same attack. Steven Lyons (pictured) is now the boss of the Lyons gang after two senior members were gunned down in Spain These days it is thought he spends some time in Spain and some in Dubai, where he rubs shoulders with the Kinahans. His family's feud with the Daniels dates back to 2001, when a stash of cocaine was allegedly stolen from the Daniels and sold to the Lyons. However, this latest feud is far more violent and sustained than the conflict between the two clans has been in the last 25 years. Mark Richardson Mark Richardson is the head of the Richardson clan. He is currently in solitary confinement at HMP Low Moss and has been in jail since his imprisonment in 2018 for having a Glock handgun and being part of a 65-mph police car chase in north Glasgow. He is still thought to be running his infamous gang smuggling cocaine and heroin into Scotland. Bonzo's Edinburgh-based associate, mob boss Mark Richardson (pictured), has also been targeted. A former police detective told the Daily Mail that if the Daniels and Richardsons are wiped out a more widespread gang war could take hold in Scotland His friends and family have been targeted by TMJ. On March 6, his girlfriend Stephanie Dignan's beauty salon Belle Cheveux in Edinburgh was torched. Then on May 6, his brother Dale Richardson's house was reportedly firebombed and on May 23, his friend David McMillan, 54, was allegedly slashed with a machete. Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel, the Scottish Scarface Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel is the boss of the Daniel family. He was scarred for life after Lyons gangsters tried to slice his face off with a meat cleaver and machete while he was unconscious at the wheel of his car following a 100mph car chase in 2017. Kingpin Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel (pictured), who was scarred in a grisly attack by rival gangsters armed with a meat cleaver, is being targeted in the gang war Read More EXCLUSIVE Gangsters' molls at the heart of two of the world's most notorious crime families unmasked When emergency workers found him, they thought he had been shot because of the severity of his wounds. He is believed to have initially gone into hiding after a firebomb attack on his home on April 14 and an attack on his mother's house on April 18. However, despite the threats made against him and his family, he is now thought to have returned to protect his business interests and his fellow gang members from TMJ. Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson AKA the Scottish Tony Soprano Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson, who has been dubbed the Scottish Tony Soprano, was finally brought to justice in 2024 following a long criminal career of global drug smuggling and brutal violence. The 59-year-old was jailed for 20 years in October after a five-year police operation involving cocaine smuggled under bananas from South America sent to a Glasgow fruit market, a Kent drugs factory and an Amsterdam brothel. Stevenson had spent decades as one of the UK's most notorious gangland figures and in 2001 was charged with the murder of his former close friend and the best man at his wedding Tony McGovern before the case was later dropped. Notorious crime boss Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson, who has been dubbed the Scottish Tony Soprano, with wife Caroline The cocaine Stevenson tried to import was hidden in boxes of bananas bound for a fruit market in Glasgow Stevenson's gang had tried to import almost a ton of cocaine, valued at roughly £100million The gangster originally rose up through the Glasgow underworld in the 1990s and became close friends with McGovern, whose family ran the so-called McGovernment mob in the north of the city. Iceman and five of his associates are now behind bars after being snared as part of the joint Police Scotland and National Crime Agency (NCA) probe, Operation Pepperoni. They were snared after officials smashed the encrypted EncroChat phone network, revealing scores of messages relating to the smuggling plot. Sentencing him, Judge Lord Ericht said Stevenson had 'directed a complex operation for the importation and supply of cocaine' and 'played a leading role in manufacturing street valium', with 13.5 million pills seized by police. The Kinahan Cartel The Kinahan Cartel, also known as the Kinahan Organised Crime Group (KOCG) is one of the most infamous gangs in the world. Originally from Dublin, they are part of the ongoing gangland feud with fellow Dublin gangsters the Hutch Family (also known as the Hutch Organised Crime Group and HOCG) that has claimed 19 lives since 2015. Christy 'The Dapper Don' Kinahan Snr (pictured) was born in Dublin's north inner city but while in prison in the 1980s he worked on learning languages and business. Upon his release, he relocated to the continent where he established links to European, Asian and South America. He worked in the shadows, creating one of the most ruthless drugs networks in the continent Daniel Kinahan (pictured) is a suspected crime boss and boxing promoter who once represented 'The Gypsy King' Tyson Fury Daniel Kinahan, Christy 'The Dapper Don' Kinahan Snr and Christy Jnr are all wanted, with US rewards totalling $15million Read More EXCLUSIVE Gangster guide to Dubai: Criminals from England who call it home - and tricks they use to live it up These days, leading figures from the Kinahan Cartel live in Dubai. Law enforcement authorities in the US have put $5million bounties on the heads of Kinahan godfather Christy 'The Dapper Don' Kinahan Sr as well as on the heads of his sons Christopher 'Mano' Kinahan Jr and Daniel 'Chess' Kinahan. They are allied with gangs across the world, including the Lyons mob in Glasgow. It is understood Ross Monaghan approached Daniel Kinahan to set up a partnership between the two families. Police Scotland has arrested at least 50 people in connection with the current gang war so far and Chief Constable Jo Farrell has called to make Scotland a 'hostile environment' for gangsters. Officers have dubbed their investigation into the ongoing gang war in Scotland Operation Portalegde. Police Scotland's Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry said: 'I want to be clear that violence will not be tolerated, and we will not stop until we bring those responsible to justice. 'We are still following positive lines of enquiry, and this arrest highlights our continued resolve to target organised crime. 'The support of our communities remains vital, and I want to again express my sincere thanks to the public for their continued help and information so far. 'If you know anything that could assist our ongoing investigation, please do the right thing and speak to us.' Anyone who can assist their enquiries is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0562 of Friday, 21 March, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Prison officer sacked after refusing to call male-born inmates ‘she'
A prison officer was sacked after refusing to refer to male-born transgender inmates as 'she' or 'her'. Army veteran David Toshack, 50, was dismissed by GEOAmey, one of the UK's largest security firms, during a training course just days before taking up a role as a prison custody officer at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in Fife. However, he said that he was 'shocked' to be dismissed before even starting the job. Mr Toshack is now taking the company to an employment tribunal on the grounds of unlawful discrimination and harassment for his beliefs. The father of three said he told a safeguarding workshop he would not be comfortable using a transgender inmate's preferred gender pronouns and said he had gender-critical beliefs that people are unable to change sex. 'I'm just a normal, working-class person who's never been in trouble with the law before, not got a criminal record, lived a good life,' he told the Mail on Sunday. 'I've been prepared to go and fight and die for my country, and then I have come back here and been told that there's certain things you can't think or can't say.' Mr Toshack, who spent more than 10 years with the Army's medical reserves and who describes himself as a regular churchgoer, added: 'There must be loads of folk like me who don't have any of that, who are on their own, so I want to show folk you can stand up against this stuff.' His case comes after the UK's Supreme Court's ruling in April which said that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act refer only to biological women and biological sex. This excludes transgender women who hold gender recognition certificates. The judgment has far-reaching ramifications regarding single-sex spaces. The UK Government said at the time that the ruling brought 'clarity and confidence' for women and those who ran hospitals, sports clubs and women's refuges. It is expected Mr Toshack's case will increase the pressure on the Scottish Prison Service to review its transgender policies in light of the Supreme Court ruling, and Mr Toshack's employment tribunal. It could also lead to further complaints from other prison custody officers asked to use transgender inmates' preferred pronouns. A spokesman for GEOAmey said: 'As this matter will be subject to tribunal proceedings, it would not be appropriate to comment at this time.'
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Major Scots motorway closed after horror crash as emergency crews race to scene
Commuters have been urged to avoid the area and use an alternative route MOTORWAY SMASH Major Scots motorway closed after horror crash as emergency crews race to scene A SECTION of a busy Scottish motorway is currently closed after a horror crash, sparking traffic chaos. Emergency crews raced to the scene on the M74 in Glasgow at around 9am this morning. 2 The crash happened on the M74 just after Junction 1 Credit: GOOGLE MAPS The crash happened after Junction 1 at the Kingston Interchange, heading northbound. It is currently unknown if anyone has been injured as a result of the incident. However, a section of the motorway just after the junction is currently closed to drivers as police deal with the incident. Traffic Scotland has warned that motorists are being diverted off the M74 at Junction 1. Commuters have been urged to avoid the area and use an alternative route. Police are currently at the scene of the crash. Drivers have been warned to expect delays and allow extra time for their journey. Posting X, formerly known as Twitter this morning, Traffic Scotland wrote: "M74 is currently closed northbound after Junction 1 due to a road traffic collision. "Police are on scene and traffic is being diverted off at Junction 1." It added: "Motorists are advised to use an alternate route and should allow extra time for their journey." Armed police swarm 'disturbance' on Scots street as man and woman charged Amey SW Trunk Roads also took to social media to warn drivers of the crash. It posted on X: "M74 J1 northbound remains closed due to RTC. Please use alternative route." Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.
