Paisley Daily Express
MANHUNT AFTERTEEN BOYRAPED INLANE
Police are appealing for information after a teenage boy was raped in Paisley. The boy was attacked by an unknown man on Meetinghouse Lane in the town centre around 8.15pm on Tuesday evening. The suspect is described as white, around 30 years old,...
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ARMEDCOPS RACETOSIEGE
A man was rushed to hospital after an alleged stabbing at a property in Paisley on Monday night. Armed police raced to the Blackstoun Road area of the town around 7.05pm after being alerted to a disturbance. A 66-year-old man was found with serious...
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WE’LLGETAIRRAIL LINKBACKONTRACK
Anas Sarwar yesterday vowed Scottish Labour would revive plans for a Glasgow Airport rail link if he becomes First Minister. The project was considered in the early years of the SNP administration but scrapped in 2009 as a result of pressures caused...
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WARNINGTHAT RENFREWSHIRE WORKERSCOULD STRIKEOVERPAY ANDTERMSROW
Workers could soon walk out of Renfrewshire’s libraries, swimming pools and leisure centres as union chiefs warn of strike action. Unison said it is preparing to ballot staff at OneRen over concerns their working terms and conditions are being...
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PAISLEYKILLER SLASHEDINMATE INLUNCHQUEUE
A Paisley murderer slashed a fellow crook during a prison lunchtime break, a court has heard. William McLean, 25, attacked Lewis Spence, 28, on October 31, 2024, at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian. The High Court in Edinburgh heard that McLean – who...
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STOPLEDCOPS TO£68KDRUGS
Drugs with a street value of £68,000 were seized following a vehicle stop in Paisley. Police officers from the Renfrewshire Road Safety Initiative were on patrol on Tuesday afternoon. Around 4.15pm, the vehicle was stopped on Limecraigs Avenue in the...
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COUNCILTAX COULDRISE BY 7.5 %
Renfrewshire residents are bracing themselves for a 7.5 per cent hike in council tax in the next financial year – if the SNP administration’s budget passes today. The proposed increase will be discussed at a summit this morning as elected members meet...
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TWOHURTIN BUSCOLLISION
Two people were rushed to hospital after being struck by a bus in Paisley on Saturday night. The incident, which involved a McGill’s service, happened shortly before 7.30pm on Causeyside Street at its junctions with Orchard Street and New Street. A...
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£180KFINE ‘ISJUSTICE FORROSS’
The family of a Paisley dad who died after plunging through a“fragile roof”at work “now have justice” after a firm was fined over £180,000. Ross Hanratty, 28, died in October 2022 after falling through a roof at Seafield Industrial Estate in...
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THENATIONIS BEHINDYOU
Craig Ferguson Paisley man Craig Ferguson is today embarking on his 3,000-mile trek across the USA as he seeks to raise awareness of mental health. Craig will walk a marathon a day as he makes his way from Los Angeles to Boston ahead of Scotland’s...
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‘ADANGER TOWOMEN’
A Renfrewshire mum has told how her violent ex battered her “black and blue” and strangled her with an iPhone cable while she was heavily pregnant with their child. Evil Steven Manson, 29, subjected Kirsty Nealis, 27, to a horrific campaign of...
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WOMAN’S BODY FOUND ATBEACH
Erskine beach was cordoned off by police yesterday after reports a woman’s body had been seen in the River Clyde. The tragic discovery was made by a member of the public around 12.20pm when Renfrewshire police and the Coastguard raced to the...
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OPENNEW PROBEINTO MISSING WOMEN
The author of a new book on Johnstone-born serial killer Peter Tobin believes he may have murdered up to ten other women. Author Jane Hamilton has also called for a new investigation into his crimes to give closure to the parents who believe their...
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The survivor of a Paisley sex attacker says she is slowly trying to rebuild her life after he preyed on her as she slept.
The young woman was just 18 when she was attacked by Steven Richardson while at a party held for his wife. The 43-year-old was sentenced to 28 months in jail at Paisley Sheriff Court on February 10 and was placed on the sex offenders register for ten...
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FRAUDWARNING AFTERPENSIONER TARGETED
Buddies are being warned to “be on their guard” after a pensioner was targeted by fraudsters on Friday. The 74-year-old man from Ralston received calls from someone pretending to be from the financial authority at around 4pm. They told him they were...
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RETHINKNEEDED ONFLY-TIPPING
An environmental charity leader has called for Renfrewshire Council to revamp its strategy in tackling fly-tipping. The call comes after some dumb dumping on West March Road in Paisley – yards from Glasgow Airport’s direct parking car park. Terry...
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FREE SNACK FROM
Terms and conditions apply. Whilst stocks last. One free snack
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STAFFPARKING FEE‘ISSCANDALOUS’
Plans to charge council staff and elected members hundreds of pounds for an annual parking permit at Renfrewshire House have been slammed as “scandalous”. The local authority has come under fire over its intention to reintroduce a charging scheme for...
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CROOKED PPESCAM DOCTOR STRUCKOFF
An NHS doctor who was jailed for selling stolen hospital PPE on eBay during the Covid-19 pandemic has been struck off. Dr Attiya Sheikh, 46, has been erased from the GMC medical register after exploiting her position for “financial gain”. The Medical...
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KNIFEFOUND YARDSFROM HIGHSCHOOL
A knife has been found yards from a Paisley school, police have confirmed. The blade was discovered by a member of the public on Monday morning, near Castlehead High School, between Canal Street and Main Street. A staff member from the school...
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KICKINGUPA STINKABOUT DOGFOULING CAMPAIGN
A row has erupted over a dog fouling awareness campaign after Renfrewshire Council was accused of “wasting” taxpayers’ cash. Last year, £30,000 was allocated to resource the scheme. Reform UK’s Councillor Jamie McGuire (pictured right) fired: “The...
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RAILLINKCOULDHAVE SAVEDTRAVELLERSCASH
A Renfrewshire politician has laid the blame for Glasgow Airport’s latest drop-off charge rise at the door of the First Minister. Neil Bibby MSP criticised the long-term effects of John Swinney’s decision to scrap the Glasgow Airport Rail Link at...
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BRODIEPARK RAPISTSTILL ONTHELOOSE
The rapist who attacked a woman in a Renfrewshire park almost two months ago is still at large, Police Scotland has confirmed. The thug targeted the woman in Brodie Park in Paisley on November 16, 2025. Police – who issued a description of the...
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GREENLIGHTFOR COUNCILTO WRITEO FF £260K O F ‘UNVIABLE’DEBT
Renfrewshire Council will write off more than £260,000 of irrecoverable debt after elected members authorised the move yesterday. The step is set to be taken because the recovery of debt from certain individuals and companies is no longer considered...
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PATIENT’S 7 HR WAITOUTSIDERAH FORTREATMENT
A patient has waited outside the Royal Alexandra Hospital for seven hours before being admitted, new data has revealed. A Freedom of Information Request, submitted by Paul O’Kane MSP, has revealed the maximum turnaround time for an ambulance at the...
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BRING A FRIEND
Residents have been “freezing” in their own homes in Paisley amid problems with a heating and hot water system, it has been claimed. Issues have arisen with a biomass boiler system, serving homes in the Calside area, and led to an influx of...
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ANGRYMUM INWARNING AFTERTAXI RIDETERROR
A Paisley mum has issued a warning after a taxi she ordered arrived with another man in the vehicle. Laura Hegart had been out for dinner with her daughter when she called up Renfrewshire Cabs to get home. However, there were two men in the car when...
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CAREWORKER CREEPTOUCHED COLLEAGUE... THENBLAMED HERCLOTHING
The social work regulator has defended its decision to permit a carer to continue working – despite him touching a colleague’s breast. Adebola Kudoro, who was a social care worker in Paisley at the time, laid the blame for two incidents of...
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HOTELPLANS GREENLIGHT
A former live music venue in Paisley is set to be transformed into an aparthotel after plans were given the go ahead by Renfrewshire Council. The applicant intends to link the building, previously home to The Cave, to the neighbouring 40-42 New...
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Cuts back on the table
Controversial cost-cutting proposals – which would affect some of the area’s most vulnerable people – are expected to be reconsidered later this year. Decision-makers were deadlocked on eight measures drafted to help close a multi-million-pound budget...
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WORKER’S ARMED ROBBERY ORDEAL
A retail assistant was in the Paisley Shop on Glasgow Road on Tuesday afternoon when a man allegedly threatened to stab him if he didn’t open the till. The business owner told the Express the ordeal has left him terrified. He said: “The member of...
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VILERAPIST JAILEDFOR TENYEARS
A barber who raped two traumatised women was jailed yesterday for 10 years. Vile Anas Almarjeh preyed on his first victim while she was asleep at a house in his home town of Barrhead in late 2019. He then repeatedly abused the second victim between...
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HEADERSLINKED TOBRAININJURY
Heading a football “likely” contributed to the brain disease which was a factor in the death of former St Mirren footballer Gordon McQueen, an inquest has found. McQueen, who was capped for Scotland 30 times, played for the Buddies between 1970 and...
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RETIRED FIREMAN ‘ASHAMED’ OFCHILD ABUSEHAUL
A retired fireman who was caught with over 1,000 horrific images and videos of child sexual exploitation and abuse has avoided a jail sentence. Twisted Roger Hoiles was snared when cops received information that a device linked to his Neilston home...
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I’LLHELP TOTURN CENTREDREAM INTOAREALITY
Ambitious plans to regenerate the Paisley Centre could revitalise the town’s high street, Anas Sarwar has said. The Scottish Labour leader said he was committed to exploring how proposals for the shopping mall could become a reality when he visited...
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Demands for clean-up close to supermarket
Concerns have been raised about the build up of rubbish amid alleged sightings of rats near a Linwood supermarket. The Asda store, in the Phoenix Retail Park, has come under scrutiny after members of the public complained about the amount of litter...
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BLAZECLOSES RECYCLINGSITE
An early morning fire ripped through a recycling plant in Linwood yesterday morning. Emergency services were called to the blaze at the Viridor waste facility transfer station on Middleton Road at around 6.45am. The station – which processes waste on...
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‘CHAINSAW MURDERBID SCENELIKEA HORRORFILM’
A man who tried to murder a police officer with a chainsaw in a scene a judge described as being like a “horror film” was jailed for 10 years yesterday. Liridon Kastrati was sentenced having earlier been convicted of the attempted murder of PC Gary...
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PAYTAXTOHELP FUNDGLASGOW
An SNP group has called on people living in Renfrewshire to pay tax towards Glasgow city services. Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, wants the Scottish Government to explore ways the city can raise more funds from its outlying areas. She...
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FUTUREFOCUS FORCENTREIS POSITIVESTEP
Plans to transform the Paisley Centre are gathering pace as Scotland’s leading infrastructure experts join efforts to get the initiative off the ground. Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) has joined forces with Renfrewshire Council and the centre’s owner,...
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BANDING TOGETHER INMEMORY OFDEREK
A fundraiser to support the family of Derek Russell has raised in excess of £8,000 just one week after he was fatally injured at a Paisley demolition site. The impressive sum was reached on the eve of Rangers’ Scottish Cup match with Annan Athletic at...
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‘DONOTHAND OUTCASHTILL PROBEISOVER’
Paisley-based charity Kibble has been given an undisclosed sum in Scottish Government funding despite being investigated over financial decisions. The organisation is currently the subject of a near three-year probe by the Scottish charity...
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SOLARFARMIS ABRIGHTIDEA
A former landfill site could be transformed into a solar farm as part of Renfrewshire Council’s ambitions to generate green energy in the area. The local authority has confirmed this week that it is carrying out initial research into the creation of a...
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36-year-old in‘critical condition’
A trauma team was dispatched to Paisley yesterday morning amidst a major incident in Foxbar. Three ambulances, three fire engines and a dozen police officers descended on Waverley Road shortly after 9am following reports a man had been injured. The...
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PERVERTCAGED FORMESSAGES TOSCHOOLGIRL
A paedophile who sent highlysexualised messages to a Renfrewshire schoolgirl has been jailed. Scott Barr targeted the youngster, who was aged 11 at the time, on Snapchat and WhatsApp. He asked her to send him pictures of herself, praised her for her...
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DRIVE-THROUGH SITEPLANSCOULD CREATE120JOBS
Fresh plans for a commercial development in Paisley – including a McDonald’s drive-through restaurant – are back on the table in a move that could create 120 jobs. Chargemaster, trading as BP Pulse, has resubmitted a bid for planning permission for...
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MSPHITSOUTAT RISEINVIOLENT CRIMEAS‘NOT GOODENOUGH’
Violent crime in Renfrewshire has rocketed by 23 per cent in the past four years, new data has revealed. Figures, obtained by Scottish Labour, show criminal violence and common assault both rose by 23 per cent across the local authority area between...
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Cinema disaster service
Buddies came together on Hogmanay to mark the 96th anniversary of the Glen Cinema Disaster. Seventy-one children died on December 31, 1929, when smoke billowed into the auditorium and terrified youngsters were crushed in the stampede to the locked...
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MBEHONOUR ISHUMBLING
A St Mirren director who grew up with dyslexia says he is “humbled” to have helped people - after he was awarded an MBE. Paul McNeill – who has been on the Saints board as a SMiSA representative since 2022 – was named in the King’s New Year Honours...
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I’MSCARED IWON’TSEE MYSONS GROWUP
A Paisley mum fears she won’t get to see her children grow up after a 15-year battle to get her life-threatening health condition diagnosed. Holly McGougan was told she has Addison’s disease in September, having spent years suffering from severe...
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MSP:MY AGONYOVER ASSISTED DYINGBILL
A Paisley MSP has backed assisted dying despite admitting he doesn’t know if he would “ever be strong enough” for his chronically-ill wife to request help to die. George Adam said that legislation progressing through Holyrood to allow terminally-ill...
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ONEINFIVE SHOPS‘LYING EMPTY’AMID RETAILCRISIS
Almost one-fifth of town centre retail properties in Renfrewshire are empty, worrying new figures have revealed. Statistics, obtained by Neil Bibby MSP (inset), show the vacancy rate for high streets across the local authority area is 19 per...
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16 REPORTS ABOUTRATS MADEEVERY WEEKTO COUNCIL
More than 16 complaints about rats are being made to Renfrewshire Council every week, new figures have revealed. The data, obtained by Neil Bibby MSP, shows that 828 complaints about rodents were made to the local authority in the 2024/25 financial...
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Minister wants to ‘do better’ for young folk
The Paisley-born MP tasked by Keir Starmer to reform the welfare system says getting young people off benefits and into work is the“cause of our times”. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said tackling youth unemployment had a class element as...
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POLICEPLEATO TRACEMANIN HIGHSTREET AFTERASSAULT
Police have released images of a man who may be able to assist with investigations into a serious assault in Paisley. The grainy images from CCTV follow the attack which took place on High Street 18 months ago, on Saturday, June 29, 2024, at...
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SEXATTACKER BEHINDBARS FORSTRING OFASSAULTS ONWOMEN
A sex attacker who preyed on women and girls has been jailed for 11 years. John Muir was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow having been convicted of a string of crimes. The abuse occurred between 1987 and 2018 at different locations in...
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APREMIER PARADEFOR PAISLEY
St Mirren will be taking the Premier Sports Cup through Paisley town centre tomorrow afternoon to celebrate their stunning 3-1 victory over Celtic at Hampden last week. Fans will be able to see their heroes cruising through town from 12.30pm when an...
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NEWCARPARK PROPOSALIS OFFTOAFLYER
A proposal for a car park on the site of the former Clansman Club near Glasgow Airport has been given the green light by planning chiefs. It has been confirmed a request for permission for the 179-space facility in Abbotsinch Road, Paisley, has been...
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OURTERRORAT MASSSHOOTING
A Renfrewshire fitness influencer has spoken of her terror after “hearing screaming” and narrowly missing the horrific mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Lily Anderson, 20, (pictured right) from the Johnstone area, arrived in Australia 12 days ago...
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Forthe l veof thegame
St Mirren’s League Cup Final victory was sealed with a kiss. Legendary manager Stephen Robinson received a peck on the cheek from proud wife Robyn at Hampden after Celtic were vanquished. The Northern Irishman paid tribute to his partner in the...
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HAMPDEN HEROES
Paisley got the party started last night as St Mirren celebrated winning the League Cup. Buddies piled into the town centre to greet Stephen Robinson and his players at the Town Hall following a 3-1 win over Celtic in the final at Hampden. Jonah...
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ONEDAY,ONETOWN, ONEDREAM... TOGETHER
The Saints are coming! More than 13,000 members of the black-and-white army will wake up tomorrow morning with hope in their hearts as St Mirren face Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup Final. All roads lead to Hampden as Stephen Robinson’s men dream of...
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ROADCLOSEDBY HORRORCRASH
Causeyside Street in Paisley was closed yesterday afternoon after a pedestrian was knocked down. The woman was reportedly struck by a car near the junction with Gordon Street at 12.10pm. Emergency services raced to the scene where it is understood...
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‘SURVIVORS VOICESMUST BEAMPLIFIED’
The public inquiry into the botched Emma Caldwell murder investigation has begun amidst serious concerns it will not look at Iain Packer’s other victims. Justice secretary Angela Constance announced yesterday that the inquiry had formally...
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COPSRECOVER £100K OF CANNABISIN HOUSERAID
A man has been charged with drug offences after cannabis worth an estimated £100,000 was discovered at a property in Paisley. The Class-B substance was uncovered as part of a raid on a property on Laighpark View in the Shortroods area of the town on...
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NEEDFORCCTV INPARKSCOULD NOTBECLEARER
A“horrified”Renfrewshire councillor is imploring his peers to back proposals for CCTV in parks following the rape of a young woman in Paisley. green spaces must be “made safe” for women and children days before councillors are set to discuss his motion...
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FUNDIN CONNOR’S MEMORY HITS £11K
A fundraiser for a much-loved Paisley schoolboy has surpassed £11,000 after his sudden death. Connor Gray, 14, sadly passed away on Wednesday, November 26. The teenager had been a pupil at Paisley Grammar School and played football with St Peters...
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WE’RENOT AVE-INGIT
A Renfrew street named after the disgraced former Prince Andrew could be changed, thanks to a council motion. Renfrewshire councillors will be asked to back a call for a consultation on the possibility of renaming Andrew Avenue at a summit next...
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WORLDCUP ZONEWOULD BEFAN-TASTIC
A World Cup fan zone could be created in Renfrewshire. Scotland’s men’s team will be taking part in their first finals in 28 years next summer. Dedicated members of the Tartan Army are plotting their trips to the United States, Canada and...
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‘It’s up to us to go to Aberdeen and get a result’ Saints boss Robbo believes victory can be a new Don for battling Buds
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‘CHERISHED CONNOR’S PASSING HASLEFT DEEPVOID’
A schoolboy who tragically died in Paisley has been named locally. Connor Gray, 14, sadly passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, November 26; he had been a pupil of Paisley Grammar School. At the weekend, his football club, St Peter’s FC, paid...
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FOODBANK ISRUNNING ONEMPTY
The shelves at Renfrewshire Foodbank are almost completely bare four weeks before Christmas – a situation described as“dire”by food bank bosses. The food bank, which provides an emergency three-day food parcel to people in financial crisis, says it...
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EMILY’S KINDNESS SHONE THROUGH
Tributes have poured out across Paisley this week for proud Buddie Emily Brown. A dedicated advocate for the victims and survivors of the Glen Cinema Disaster and a community activist, Emily has been described by her loved ones as “an incredible...
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PREDATORCARE WORKERRAPED TEENAGERFROM CHILDREN’SHOME
A former care worker who raped a girl from a Renfrewshire children’s home where he was a manager has been jailed for nineand-a-half years. Denis Donnell, 47, repeatedly preyed on the vulnerable teenager who was left badly affected by her harrowing...
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MANGUILTY OFCHAINSAW MURDERBID ONOFFICER
A man has been convicted of chasing a police officer with a chainsaw and attempting to murder him. Liridon Kastrati, 32, had been accused of brandishing a chainsaw at officers in Paisley in broad daylight on May 6, 2024 at around 1.30pm. He had...
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