Criminal Record has brought together a round-up of today's biggest crime stories, featuring a gang thug jailed for directing crime from his cell, a taxi driver unmasked for a sickening sex attack on a teenage passenger, and female teachers revealing they face rape threats from male pupils.
Michael Sutherland sentenced for directing organised crime from prison
Michael Sutherland has been sentenced to a further six years in prison after admitting his involvement in serious organised crime while already serving time behind bars. The 40-year-old used illicit mobile phones to maintain contact with an associate on the outside, helping to oversee drug trafficking activities and discussing plans for a potential violent attack. Sutherland, of Irvine, Ayrshire, was identified after police seized his associate's mobile phone and discovered his contact details saved under the name 'Mick Sutherland'. Prosecutors said he remained heavily involved in criminal activity between February 2020 and October 2022, despite being imprisoned for his role in the brutal assault of pensioner Janette Connell in Glasgow's Milton area.
Taxi driver Farrukh Naseem Butt jailed for sexually assaulting teenager
A teenager said she left 'traumatised' and 'scared to leave the house' following a sick sex attack by a taxi driver taking her home. Farrukh Naseem Butt pulled his silver VW into a supermarket car park and molested the terrified 14-year-old in the early hours of the morning on February 16 last year. The 45-year-old of East Kilbride, Glasgow, denied all the allegations but was found guilty by a jury following a two day trial in Edinburgh.
Mother tells of terror after balaclava-clad protesters mobbed her car in Falkirk
A mother-of-seven has spoken of her fear after anti-immigration protesters surrounded her car and shouted abuse as she tried to make her way home through Falkirk. The 39-year-old said masked demonstrators shook her vehicle and made threatening gestures during the frightening confrontation. Sarah McCabe said balaclava-clad men and other black-clad marchers hemmed in her car in the aftermath of protests linked to the Belfast knife attack in which Scot Stephen Ogilvie was seriously injured. Dashcam footage is said to have captured people leaning over her bonnet and screaming through her window as she sat trapped inside. Another woman caught up in the same disorder said she was branded a 'rape sympathiser' by members of the crowd as tensions spilled onto the streets.
Inside Falkirk's anti-immigration protest movement
Falkirk has emerged as one of the UK's flashpoints for anti-immigration unrest after months of protests centred around the Cladhan Hotel, which has been used to accommodate asylum seekers. Demonstrations in the town have intensified in recent weeks, drawing increasingly large crowds and prompting concerns over the presence of masked protesters and extremist rhetoric. Among those at the forefront of the campaign are Reform UK councillor Claire Mackie-Brown and Julie Reilly, a prominent figure behind the Voices For Falkirk Facebook group. Both women were visible at Tuesday night's protest, which followed demonstrations linked to the attempted beheading of Scot Stephen Ogilvie in Belfast and attracted figures associated with Scotland's anti-immigration movement. The Record can reveal how some of the individuals and groups involved in the Falkirk protests have previously courted controversy over inflammatory comments, social media activity and links to far-right activists.
Female teachers tell of rape threats from pupils
Teachers across Scotland have told how they have faced rape threats, violent abuse and daily sexist insults from male pupils, as they back plans to introduce a new Misogyny Bill. Female classroom staff say the growing influence of incel culture and online misogyny is making their jobs increasingly difficult. Speaking to the Record as part of the Our Kids ... Our Future campaign, teachers in Glasgow and Aberdeen described a 'terrifying' shift in attitudes towards women and girls, warning that misogynistic behaviour is becoming normalised among some young boys. As the Scottish Government prepares legislation to criminalise misogynistic harassment and abuse, teachers are calling for urgent action to tackle the harmful online content they believe is fuelling the crisis.
