Latest news with #AileenOrr
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Borders councillor steps down from SNP after cannabis farm charge
A Scottish Borders councillor has stepped down from the SNP after being charged with drug Orr, 70, was arrested after the discovery of a cannabis farm at a property near Paxton, Berwickshire, in February last year. Her son Duncan Orr, 29, was also arrested and charged. They are expected to appear in court at a later date. The SNP said Orr had left the party while the investigation continued. She has remained in her role as councillor for the East Berwickshire ward. The cannabis farm was discovered after police were called to a report of men banging on the window of a remote property near Paxton late at night on 3 February 2024. When officers arrived they found no trace of the men, but did find cannabis with an estimated street value of about £500, spoke about the incident during at the SNP conference last year, but did not mention the discovery of the cannabis. At an event organised by the Scottish Police Federation and attended by Justice Secretary Angela Constance, Orr said she was "crying on the phone" and thought she "was going to die" when she called officers about two men outside the said it took 29 minutes for Police Scotland to arrive and that by then the two men had force said officers arrived at the "remote property" within 19 minutes of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service confirmed that the procurator fiscal had received a report "concerning a 70-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man in connection with an alleged incident in the Scottish Borders on 3 February 2024".
Times
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Times
SNP councillor resigns from party after £500,000 drug bust
An SNP politician has stepped down from the party after being charged with drug offences following the discovery of a cannabis farm at a rural property. Aileen Orr, a councillor and one-time party staff member for Mike Russell, the former SNP president and Nicola Sturgeon ally, was arrested after a drugs bust in the Borders in February last year. Orr, now 71, called the emergency services to report a break-in at a farmhouse on the outskirts of the Berwickshire village of Paxton. When police arrived at the property they did not locate any burglars but did find a cannabis cultivation with an estimated street value of £500,000. Orr was arrested and charged last year, as was her 29-year-old son, Duncan Orr. A report is due to be submitted to prosecutors and a court date will be set in due course.
Scottish Sun
29-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
SNP councillor charged over ‘£500k cannabis farm found at Scots country home'
Cops confirmed that a 70-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man were charged in connection with alleged drug offences last year Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN SNP councillor has been charged after a £500,000 cannabis farm was allegedly discovered at a Scots country home. Police raced to a farmhouse near Paxton, in the Borders, in February last year after Aileen Orr reported a suspected break-in at the property. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Police raced to the scene in February last year 3 Officers say they discovered a large cannabis farm at the property When officers arrived at the house, they could not find any burglars. Instead, Councillor Orr, 71, found herself at the centre of a huge drugs bust after cops allegedly discovered a cannabis cultivation at the property, The Mail on Sunday reports. Cops confirmed that a 70-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man were arrested and charged in connection with alleged drug offences last year. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal And the pair are set to appear in court at a later date. Ms Orr phoned the police just before 1am on February 3 in 2024 after two men tried to break into a house she was staying at. And during an address to the Scottish Police Federation gathering at the SNP conference last year, she said she feared for her life during the incident. She also complained at the event, which Justice Secretary Angela Constance attended, that it took officers 29 minutes to reach the property and the intruders had fled during that time. Ms Orr did not reveal to anyone attending the conference that she and a 29-year-old were arrested over the alleged cannabis farm. It is not known where the cannabis was said to have been discovered by officers. Brit teen facing life in prison after being 'caught with 14kg of cannabis' in her luggage after huge airport arrest A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'A 70-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man have been arrested and charged in connection with drugs offences after a cannabis cultivation was discovered at a property near Paxton around 12.55am on Saturday, 3 February, 2024. "A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal and they are expected to appear at court at a later date."
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
SNP politician, 71, charged after police discover £1/2million cannabis farm at idyllic rural home
An elderly SNP politician has been arrested and charged with drug offences after police discovered a massive cannabis farm worth half-a-million pounds at a country property. Councillor Aileen Orr, 71, was at the centre of the huge drugs bust in the Borders in February last year, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Officers swooped on a farmhouse on the outskirts of the village of Paxton in Berwickshire after receiving a 999 call from Mrs Orr amid a suspected break-in. Yet when they arrived at the large home, set back from winding countryside roads, they could not locate any burglars. Instead, they stumbled upon a cannabis cultivation with a street value of around £500,000. A Police Scotland spokesman last night confirmed a 70-year-old was arrested and charged last year, as was a 29-year-old. A report is due to be submitted to prosecutors and a court date will be set in due course. The scandal sent shockwaves through the remote village of Paxton, which boasts glorious scenery and a sleepy pace of life for local residents. The idyllic haven's calm was shattered on the night of February 3, 2024, when Mrs Orr, who has previously worked for former SNP president and Nicola Sturgeon ally Mike Russell, called police after two men tried to break into a country house she was staying in. She told a fringe event at the SNP conference last year that she feared for her life as two 'violent' men entered the farmhouse in the middle of the night. And in the address to the Scottish Police Federation's gathering, which was also attended by Justice Secretary Angela Constance, she complained that it took officers 29 minutes to reach her, by which time the intruders had fled. The councillor, who has written a book about Wojtek, a 500-pound beer-drinking brown bear who was adopted as a Polish Army mascot in the Second World War before ending up in Edinburgh Zoo, told the audience that she had a 'very, very good relationship with the local police', but said she suffered extreme fear while waiting for their response. Mrs Orr did not tell the Justice Secretary and other attending the conference that she and a 29-year-old were arrested that night in relation to the cannabis cultivation. Looked at from the roadside, the grand farmhouse has a prominent presence against the rugged landscape, with the home resembling a large country pile. Huge cattle sheds can also be seen from public paths and next to the main house there is also a greenhouse. It is not known exactly where the cannabis was located by police. Once cannabis plants have reached maturity, often with the aid of high-intensity heat lamps, they can be trimmed and them dried – a process known as curing – which breaks down the chlorophyll in the leaves. Under UK sentencing guidelines, those found buying equipment and paying energy costs to cultivate 100 plants or more would be seen as playing a 'lead role' in growing cannabis to sell it and to make money. Those found to have broken the law by growing the Class B drug can expect to be handed down a prison sentence of up to six years, the official advice states. Mrs Orr, who was born and raised in Lockerbie in Dumfries-shire before studying at the London School of Economics and later working for the Bank of America, continues to fulfil her role as a councillor for the East Berwickshire ward of Scottish Borders Council. She was previously a regional director of the Countryside Alliance and also an advisor to Mr Russell when he was an MSP. Police Scotland has said it actually took officers 19 minutes to arrive at the address that night. A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'A 70-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man have been arrested and charged in connection with drugs offences after a cannabis cultivation was discovered at a property near Paxton at around 12.55am on Saturday, February 3, 2024. 'A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal and they are expected to appear at court at a later date.'
