A major search operation is underway after a notorious child rapist escaped from staff while on escorted community leave in Perth city centre. Clifford Lyons, also known by the surname Dobbie, who is a restricted patient, absconded on Thursday, August 6, while out with escorts and remains on the run.
Escaped rapist on the run
Dobbie has spent decades in secure psychiatric hospitals after being convicted of raping a 10-year-old girl in Glasgow while on bail for sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy in 1990. He has been detained in high-security units, including the State Hospital at Carstairs, ever since. Police have released CCTV of Dobbie in a bid to trace him.
Man charged in Glasgow murder probe
A man has been arrested and charged after another man was found dead in a block of flats in Glasgow. Paul McMinigal was found seriously injured within the Burgher Street flats in Parkhead last month. Emergency crews were called to the scene after the alarm was raised at around 3pm on Friday, July 24. The 44-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police Scotland previously said they were treating the death as murder and launched a major investigation. A police presence remained in the area for a number of days following the incident.
Hammer killer jailed for life
A domestic abuser who bludgeoned his partner to death with a claw hammer has been jailed for life. Joseph Greer brutally attacked Samantha Lee at his flat in Aberdeen shortly after New Year's Day. The body of the 54-year-old mum-of-three was discovered when Greer's friend came to his door. The 40-year-old confessed: "Samantha is dead. She is in the kitchen."
Samantha was killed after Greer repeatedly struck her with a claw hammer in a prolonged and violent assault between January 1 and 4 this year. The couple had been in a relationship since 2021 but he had been banned from going near her last year.
Daylight murder bid charge
A man has been charged in connection with an attempted murder in Aberdeen. It comes after one man was rushed to hospital following the incident, which took place in broad daylight, in the city. Emergency crews were alerted to the incident on Bedford Road at around 2:40pm on Saturday, August 1. Upon arrival the man was found to have been injured. His current condition and any extent of his injuries is unclear.
Blue star's Supreme Court challenge
Blue star Lee Ryan is planning a Supreme Court challenge after losing previous appeals over his conviction for racially aggravated assault on an aircraft, a court heard. The singer, 43, was "slurring his words and staggering around" after drinking a whole bottle of port before a British Airways flight from Glasgow to London City Airport in July 2022.
After being refused more alcohol on the plane and told to return to his seat, Ryan made comments about flight attendant Leah Gordon's looks, calling her a "chocolate cookie" before grabbing her wrists. He was convicted of racially aggravated assault and behaving in an abusive way towards a cabin crew member in 2023.
