A pensioner has been discovered responsible of threatening to assassinate Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
William Curtis, 70, despatched threatening social media posts to Ms Sturgeon on varied events between 27 February and 6 March 2019.
He was additionally discovered responsible of sending or inflicting a threatening message to be despatched to former MSP Stewart Stevenson on 9 March that 12 months.
Jurors at Glasgow’s Excessive Courtroom discovered that Curtis and Philip Mitchell, 60, additionally assaulted and kidnapped a sheriff in a parking lot in Banff, Aberdeenshire, in June 2021.
Mitchell claimed he was performing a residents’ arrest on Sheriff Robert McDonald and had lawful authority to take action, however Choose Lord Weir informed the jury there was no proof to help this.
The jury started deliberating at about noon on Thursday and reached a verdict simply over 24 hours in a while Friday.
One of many posts from 6 March 2019 from a Fb account within the title of William Patrick Curtis – which his former accomplice confirmed he had – was learn out in courtroom.
It learn: “Now we have motive to imagine whereas it’s my intention to residents (sic) arrest her [Ms Sturgeon] to reply her treason, over the past three years, critical individuals who reel the abuse to the citizens by her legal actions warrants assassination of her and sevreal (sic) of her ministers, on all the way down to even civilians who work in all agenices (sic) who’ve repeatedly lied to the citizens and conspired with the First Minister.”
Ms Sturgeon’s workplace supervisor, John Skinner, flagged the publish to his boss and when requested in courtroom what was manufactured from the phrase “warrant assassination of her”, he stated: “To homicide the primary minister.”
The message to Mr Stevenson threatened him and contained a hyperlink to a video regarding the homicide of MP Jo Cox, the courtroom was informed.
A direct Fb message was despatched to Mr Stevenson from “Carole Curtis”, studying: “Your flip is comming (sic) of which you can be certain.”
Curtis lodged a particular defence of incrimination, claiming another person dedicated the offence towards Mr Stevenson, however jurors rejected this.
Jurors discovered Curtis responsible of a fourth cost of behaving in a “threatening or abusive method which was more likely to trigger an affordable particular person to endure worry or alarm” by posting “messages of a threatening and abusive nature” in October 2020.
He was additionally charged with the identical offence for a June 2021 publish however that was withdrawn by the Crown and he was acquitted.
The entire offences occurred in Aberdeenshire.
Each males might be sentenced on 3 March at Edinburgh’s Excessive Courtroom, Lord Weir confirmed.