A BlackRock lawyer who kicked a passenger and unleashed a homophobic rant on a train has been fined £640 after narrowly avoiding jail. Rebecca Lindsay, 35, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner aggravated by prejudice related to sexual orientation, and assault.
Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that on December 13, 2024, Lindsay boarded the Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street service after a work Christmas party. She fell and was helped up by fellow passenger Jamie Redmane. The pair began chatting before Lindsay became aggressive, shouting at a woman: 'You are a fing mad fing dyke lesbian, you are the problem'.
When another passenger asked Redmane if he was all right, Lindsay turned on them, yelling: 'Is he your boyfriend? Have you got your d*** up his a***, is he s**** him tonight, he is up his a**'. She then called a man 'ugly' as he passed with his girlfriend, and kicked him twice when he tried to calm her down.
Fiscal depute Ross Canning told the court: 'The man with the woman tried to get Lindsay into her seat in an attempt to diffuse the situation. From the seated position, she kicked the man twice but there was no injury.' Lindsay continued her tirade for the rest of the journey, at one point telling another passenger: 'You getting a f****** hard on for it, aye?'
Lindsay's lawyer, Allan Macleod, said she had been drinking while on medication and had 'no recollection' of her actions. He added: 'She had a couple of glasses of wine which went to her head - there was social pressure on her to drink. She cannot express more regret than she feels and is utterly ashamed by her conduct.' Macleod further stated that the man she kicked had called her an 'old skank'.
Sheriff David Hall fined Lindsay £640 and told her: 'You are 35-years-old with no previous convictions or outstanding matters. I accept the submission that you are unlikely to be seen in court again.'
