Paisley Daily Express
FAMILY’S ANGUISH ASSON INCOMA AFTERHORROR PLUNGEINMALTA
A Paisley man is sedated in a Malta hospital after falling from a height while on holiday with friends. Zak Mcgowan, 21, was on holiday for a music festival with friends last weekend, when he suffered a terrible accident on the last night of their...
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COUNCILLOR RAISES CONCERN OVER RAT FEARS
Businesses face being banned from storing commercial waste bins in public areas in Paisley town centre under a new policy. Renfrewshire Council plans to “prohibit” the often bright and bulky containers being left on streets and footpaths within a...
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CENTREFACELIFT WILLBEARISKTO THECOUNCIL
An independent investigation into the viability of plans to transform the Paisley Centre suggests it is too risky for Renfrewshire Council involvement. Initial feedback from Math Real Estate Partners argues the current proposals for the council to...
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COMMERCIAL PLANKO’DBY THECOUNCIL
The planning application for a development that promised to bring 120 jobs to Paisley has been thrown out. Renfrewshire councillors said plans for a McDonald’s drive through restaurant and electric vehicle charging hub on land north of St James’...
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GERSLEGEND’SHOMES PLANGETSREDCARD
Controversial plans for 33 new homes on land in Bridge of Weir that sparked almost 400 objections have been rejected by Renfrewshire Council. James (Glasgow) Ltd – which lists Rangers hero Ally McCoist and Jeffrey East as directors – has been refused...
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1ST CLASS FAIL
Paisley is the worst-hit for firstclass post delivery delays. As well as being in an unwanted first place, the town is the only area from Scotland in the top 10. According to the Royal Mail’s most recent quality of service and complaints report, 62.7...
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SEXATTACKERJAILED FORRAPINGYOUNG GIRL AND HOUNDINGHERONLINE
A sex attacker who raped and abused a young girl has been jailed for seven years. Beast Jason Wilkinson repeatedly preyed on the child which also included hounding her on social media. The 30 year-old, of Johnstone, initially groped and molested the...
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E-SCOOTER ISSEIZEDAS COPSPLEDGE CRACKDOWN
An e-scooter has been seized and a man charged with traffic offences as part of a crackdown on the illegal use of electric vehicles in Renfrewshire. Police Scotland revealed officers stopped a balaclava-clad rider and seized the scooter after it was...
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SERIALRAPIST TARGETEDNINE YOUNGWOMEN
A terminally-ill pensioner who spent almost half-a-century subjecting nine vulnerable young women to crimes including rape and sexual assaults has been jailed for 12 years. Kevin McConnell, 70, preyed on the females, who cannot be named for legal...
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COMMUNITY CENTRECREEP SENTPICSTO 13-YEAR-OLD
A Paisley community centre worker has been put on the sex offenders’ register after he sent pictures of his private parts to a teenage girl. Twisted Gordon Larkin was found guilty by a sheriff following a trial at Paisley Sheriff Court. Larkin, who...
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I’VEBEENCHEATED BY‘GARDENERS’
A pensioner’s garden has been left strewn with debris after he handed over £1,900 to a team of gardeners. Andy Thomson, who has stage four cancer, was desperate to have trees in his garden made safe when a man called at his door to say his firm was...
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PAEDOPHILE COMMUNITY HUBWORKER ABUSEDBOYS
A Renfrewshire writer who ran an organisation which hosted children’s poetry competitions has been convicted of sexually abusing young boys in Paisley. Mark Sherland is facing jail for abusing three victims at his former home in Stock...
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‘TOPTIER’GANG MEMBERFACES JAILFOR £14M DRUGSRACKET
A high profile member of a Scots crime gang has admitted his involvement in a £14m drugs operation. John Gray, of Paisley, was associates with gangster brothers Barry and James Gillespie as well as James ‘The Don’ White. Gray, 53, was snared by...
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SINGLE PUNCH KILLER JAILED
A man who killed a popular amateur footballer with a single punch has been jailed for seven years. Leon Beagan, 29, punched Andrew Lees outside Renfrew Leisure Centre on November 5, 2023. The 27 year-old – known as Panda – suffered a fatal rupture of...
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TEST OF FAITH
AND HAWES’ NUN FOR KEELEY FIRST SIGHT DRAMA FALLING IT’S LOVE AT PRIEST IN NEW PAAPA ESSIEDU’S
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APPEAL AGAINST MURDER CONVICTION
A woman serving life for participating in a “frenzied” knife attack alongside her then partner was wrongly found guilty of murder, appeal judges have heard. Stacey Balfour, 25, was ordered to serve a minimum of 16 years for her role in the death of...
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HORROR AFTERMAN HITBYCAR
A man was raced to hospital after being struck by a car in Paisley yesterday. The 45-year-old was hit by the vehicle on Neilston Road around 11.15am. Emergency services raced to the scene and the man was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for...
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TRAGEDYON THETRACKS
A person has died on a railway line in Paisley. The incident took place on Monday afternoon and sparked a major response from the emergency services. Police, paramedics and railway workers descended on the scene while some staff could be spotted...
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FRESHCALLS TOTACKLE RATSISSUEAFTER RODENTSPOTTED INBAKERY
Renfrewshire Council says it is working to eradicate rats from communities after a rodent was spotted in a Paisley bakery. The local authority said its environmental health teams had been made aware of the incident in which a rat was filmed inside the...
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£873K BILL FORHOTELS TOHOUSETHE HOMELESSIN RENFREWSHIRE
Almost £900,000 has been spent housing people in hotels in Renfrewshire over a three-year period, new figures have revealed. Data, obtained by the Liberal Democrats, shows 767 people were temporarily housed in hotels in Renfrewshire between 2023 and...
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BYGEORGE!MSP HOLDSPAISLEY
It was SN-glee in Renfrewshire yesterday as the party completed a clean sweep. George Adam, Michelle Campbell and Tom Arthur were all elected to the Scottish Parliament. Mr Adam held his Paisley seat while Mr Arthur was victorious in Renfrewshire...
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TEENSTABBED MANTODEATH
A Lochwinnoch teenager who stabbed a man to death in a Paisley street was locked up yesterday. Jaxon Millar, then 19, struck Robert McNally, 21, in the Maree Road and Lochbroom Drive area of the town on January 18, 2025. Judge Lord Mulholland told...
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SCHOOL TEACHER ACCUSEDOF SEXATTACKS ONCHILDREN
A Paisley teacher has appeared in court charged with 22 sex offences including claims he abused 13 children. Martin Gallacher, who taught at Paisley Grammar School, is alleged to have targeted the youngsters between 2013 and 2024. Gallacher, of...
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BOMBSQUAD RACETOSTREET
A suspicious item saw homes evacuated and the bomb squad called to Linwood yesterday. Emergency services raced to Reid Avenue around 9.30am when locals were asked to leave their homes and a wide cordon was erected. Images from the scene show the road...
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FLATSBIDFOR HISTORICSITE
A residential development could be built on the site of the fire-ravaged Speirsfield House once it is demolished, new plans have revealed. An application for planning permission in principle for 21 units in the grounds of the B-listed Speirsfield...
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NEWMUSEUM OPENINGSET FORFOURTHDELAY
The opening of Paisley Museum looks set to be delayed for a fourth time as Renfrewshire Council refuses to commit to its 2026 deadline. The local authority – which initially pledged to open the hub in 2022 – was working towards an opening in the...
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SUMMERSTRIKE ACTIONTHREAT
People flying to the World Cup could face disruption as airport workers consider industrial action in a dispute over pay, a union has warned. Aviation trade union Unite said that ICTS central search members based at Glasgow Airport are being balloted...
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TRIBUTESPAID TO‘WEEANGEL’
Buddies are continuing to come to terms with the loss of a six-year-old girl following a tragic accident. The girl died after being knocked down on Johnston Street on Saturday. Emergency services were called to the scene around 5.30pm following...
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PERVERT PRIEST JAILEDFOR SEXATTACK ONDRUNK VICTIM
A former Paisley and Barrhead priest has been jailed for sexually assaulting a drunk businessman in the house at his church. Father Stephen Baillie abused his victim after they had been on a night out together. Baillie, who was a priest for over 30...
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TRAGEDYAS SIX-YEAR-OLD GIRLDIESIN CARHORROR
A six-year-old girl has died after being hit by a car in Paisley. Emergency services were called to Johnston Street in the town following the horrific incident around 5.30pm on Saturday. Officers responded to reports of two children being struck by a...
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BUTCHER BEAST IS‘EVERY PARENT’S WORST NIGHTMARE’
A Renfrewshire butcher who posed as a teen to groom young boys on Snapchat was branded “every parent’s worst nightmare” as he was jailed for his crimes. his victims of their “innocence and childhood” as he was locked up for nearly four years. The...
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TERRORFOR WORKERSAS SHOPROBBED THREETIMES
A Paisley shopkeeper has described his terror after being threatened with a knife and hammer in two armed robberies. The man, who works at the Day-Today store on Neilston Road, was threatened by an armed robber who demanded he hand over a day’s...
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Festival on the menu
The sun is set to shine on this year’s super-sized Paisley Food and Drink Festival as it gets underway today. The free-to-attend event at Abbey Close has been expanded this year to include a Big Feed Foodie & Makers Market for the first time and will...
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SHOPROBBED FORASECOND TIMEINMONTH
Detectives are appealing for information after a Paisley shop was robbed for the second time within a month. A man, reportedly armed with a weapon, entered the Day-Today Express shop on Neilston Road at 9.25am on Tuesday morning and demanded the...
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Police Scotland rolling out video kits to its officers
Around 480 frontline officers in the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Division – including road policing officers, dog handlers and custody staff – will be provided with devices over the coming weeks. Police Scotland says the equipment can help to...
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ADDINGINSULTTO INJURY
The 32-year-old enforcer — the heartbeat of the club’s revolution in recent years — launched a passionate defence of his Buddie. Mullen endured a Hampden nightmare on Sunday as his howler led to Daizen Maeda’s opener after less than a minute of the...
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KNIFETHUG JAILEDOVER SAVAGE PUBATTACK
A knife attacker who stabbed an off-duty bar manager has been jailed for four years. Darren White, 46, struck Stephen Downie, 34, during the unprovoked assault at The Last Post pub in Paisley, on March 23 last year. The first offender pleaded guilty...
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POLICERAID UNCOVERS £120,000 DRUGSHAUL
Another £120,000 worth of cannabis has been recovered in Renfrewshire, police have confirmed. The drugs were discovered following a raid of a property on Kinpurnie Road in the Ralston area of Paisley. Police say the address was one of a number of...
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DRIVERJAILEDAFTER DOZINGATWHEEL ANDKILLING ‘DEVOTED’DAD
A driver who killed a “devoted” dad after falling asleep at the wheel and mounting the kerb was jailed today for five years. Scott Nugent, 42, had just finished a 13-hour shift when tragedy struck on Hawkhead Road in Paisley on the morning of...
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PERVERTPRIEST SENTTOPRISON FORNINEYEARS
A former Paisley priest has been jailed for nine years after being convicted of historic sex offences. Vincent Cassidy, 84, was convicted of two charges of indecent assault and one of lewd and libidinous practices which had a “devastating” impact on...
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CAREWORKER ISSTRUCKOFF FORGLASS ATTACKON COLLEAGUE DURINGA NIGHTOUT
A social care worker who was convicted of assaulting her colleague has been struck off, a regulator has confirmed. Kerry Purdon was struck from the register for social care workers after throwing a glass at a colleague on a work night out, causing...
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FAISETTO PROBE DEATHOF ‘WAMBO’
The death of a Paisley roofer and musician is set to be probed by a fatal accident inquiry. William Matthews, 57, died after falling from the roof of a cottage in Kilmacolm in August 2024. Known to many as Wambo, he was the owner and director of WAM...
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VILEVIDEOS OFKILLER’S EVILBOASTS FROMPRISON REMOVED
Sickening TikTok videos of a convicted killer partying with other inmates behind bars have been taken down. Clips of killer Ben McCulloch partying with other prisoners at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian were revealed by our sister title, the Daily...
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FAMILY LUCKY TO BE ALIVE
A heartbroken Paisley family have lost their home and possessions after a blaze ripped through their property. Heidi Mornin, 43, and her 14-yearold twins, Harry and Lilly, were forced to flee as flames engulfed the roof of their house on South Park...
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LUDO’S GOALFOR CANCER CHARITY
A St Mirren legend has co-founded a new Paisley charity which aims to transform how patients prepare for and recover from cancer treatment. Ludovic Wilson-Roy – affectionately known as Ludo during his five-year spell at Street – has teamed with the...
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ELECTRICBIKE SMASHHORROR
An electric motorbike rider was in a critical condition in hospital yesterday following a horror town-centre collision. The incident happened around 2.25pm on Tuesday afternoon when the e-bike struck a group of four pedestrians on Inchinnan Road in...
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WOMANACCUSED OFMURDERAFTER FATALFIRE
A woman has appeared in court charged with murder and attempted murder after a fatal fire in Paisley. Emergency crews were called to Barterholm Road in the town on April 6 last year. A 38-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries and died in hospital...
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Police plea to track down knifeman
A shopkeeper was threatened with a knife during an attempted robbery in Paisley. The incident took place shortly before 10pm on Friday night at the Paisley Shop on Glasgow Road. It is the second time this year the store has been targeted by a...
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TEACHERSFACE ABUSEEVERY DAYINCLASSES
Three teachers are on average assaulted or abused every day in Renfrewshire schools, worrying new figures have revealed. The data, obtained from Renfrewshire Council, shows 550 members of teaching staff were subjected to physical violence, aggression...
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‘SOCIALCARE FINANCESINA DIRE,DIREMESS’
Social care is in a “dire, dire mess”, a councillor warned as the budget for Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) was Councillor Iain McMillan (pictured right) outlined his grave concerns as the Integrated Joint Board agreed to use...
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Family calls for crackdown
A grieving family has demanded a crackdown on killers trolling from behind bars after being sickened by jail TikTok videos. The distraught mum and sisters of slain Stephen Quigley are pleading for a new law to hammer gloating criminals after Ben...
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VILECONARTIST EXTORTED £70K FROMGRIEVING WIDOWERAFTER ATTACKTHREATS
A Renfrew woman who extorted more than £70,000 from a grieving widower after threatening to have him beaten up has been jailed. Margaret Watson also told her victim that she would lie to people that he had sexually assaulted her if he did not give her...
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PUPILSUSINGAI TOTARGET TEACHERS
School pupils are using AI to make degrading and sometimes sexual images of their teachers, trade union chiefs have revealed. The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association said pupils are creating fake social media accounts using teachers’ names. The...
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COUNCILSTAFF ‘HAVETOPAYTO GOTOWORK’
Plans to charge staff and councillors for parking at Renfrewshire House will come into force next week. The parking permit scheme, which led to criticism from Paisley Southeast councillor Eddie Devine, will be introduced next Tuesday. Councillor...
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MPBAXTER: ‘IWILLNOT BESILENCED AFTERBAN FROMEVENT’
An elected representative has said she “will not be silenced” after criticism of the SNP administration in Renfrewshire saw her “banned”from a community Johanna Baxter MP was told she was not welcome at the Provost’s Awards earlier this month as she...
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CHEERSAS EXTRATIME APPROVED
Renfrewshire pubs are celebrating taking the game into extra-time after additional licensing hours were agreed for the World Cup. Punters can enjoy watching Scotland in this summer’s extravaganza with boozers staying open for late-night matches.
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Positive paths for kids
Two Renfrewshire schools have gained global recognition for their work on emotional wellbeing. Woodlands Primary and Bushes Primary have this month both been awarded the Social and Emotional Learning Worldwide Model School status. The move comes...
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ANGEROVER PRAYERSFOR PERVERTPRIEST
Barrhead parents say they are “disgusted” after a priest urged them to pray for a convicted sex offender during mass. Families attending St John the Evangelist Parish Church on Sunday were urged to pray for former parish priest, Father Stephen...
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MANINJURED AFTERTEEN GANGATTACK
A man has been left with serious injuries after being attacked by a gang of teenage yobs in Paisley town centre. The 32-year-old was on Smithhills Street around 9pm on Sunday when a group of up to six youths launched the vicious attack. The thugs...
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BRUTESTABBED BARBOSSINPUB
A knife attacker who stabbed an off-duty bar manager is facing a prison sentence. Darren White, 46, struck Stephen Downie during the unprovoked assault at The Last Post pub in Paisley, on March 23, 2025. The High Court in Glasgow was told Mr Downie...
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RESTAURANT ANDPETROL STATIONPLANS OFFTHEMENU
Plans to build a petrol station, electric vehicle charging facility and drivethrough restaurant on land in Paisley have been refused by Renfrewshire Council. The development was anticipated to create up to 45 jobs if it had been given the green light...
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ALLY’SBID TOSCORE HOUSING
A decision on controversial plans for new homes in Bridge of Weir has been delayed. Real estate company James (Glasgow) Ltd – which lists Rangers hero Ally McCoist and Jeffrey East as directors – has requested planning permission for a reduced...
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ASSISTED DYINGBILL REJECTED
Renfrewshire MSPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of assisted dying following an emotional Holyrood debate on Tuesday. They were among 57 MSPs who backed calls for more choice and dignity in death – arguing it would end unbearable suffering for people...
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TRAINSERVICES BACKONTRACK
Services between Renfrewshire and Glasgow Central station will resume today, ScotRail has revealed. The rail operator was forced to halt services between Glasgow and Renfrewshire stations on March 8 following the colossal blaze at the neighbouring...
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CREEP’S 12TH CONVICTION
A serial Paisley sex offender has been spared jail after being convicted of his 12th offence. John Drummond (pictured right) has a criminal record for sexual offences which stretches back to the 1970s. In May last year, the 68-yearold committed his...
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BATTLETO SAVETREES FALTERS
A final attempt to halt the felling of a Paisley woodland has failed, activists have been told, as they continue to camp out at the site of a controversial housing development. Members of Save Paisley’s Green Space have been camped out near a...
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DON’T RIP TRINITYHIGH FROM ITS ROOTS
Moving Trinity High School from its “roots” in Renfrew to a site in Erskine could result in the loss of its “history, culture and tradition”, it has been warned. Jack Nellaney, the representative for the Diocese of Paisley and former head teacher of...
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UNDERCOVER PLANTOCATCH DOGPOO CULPRITS
Wardens could carry out plain-clothes patrols in a bid to tackle dog fouling in the area amid ongoing enforcement challenges. The prospect of teams conducting surveillance, in ordinary attire rather than uniform, is under consideration as Renfrewshire...
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£60K DRUGS FOUND INBUST
Drugs with an estimated street value of £60,000 have been recovered from a property in Paisley. Police raided the premises on Wellmeadow Street in the town’s West End around 6.10am on Tuesday morning. Diamorphine, cocaine and cannabis estimated to be...
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KILLERDRIVER FELLASLEEP ATTHEWHEEL
A driver killed a man after falling asleep at the wheel and mounting the kerb. Scott Nugent, 42, had just finished a 13-hour shift on the morning of September 18, 2024 when his car struck Stephen Craig and Craig McDermott on Hawkhead Road in...
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MANINCOURT ACCUSEDOF RAPINGTEEN
A man has appeared in court charged with rape after a teenage boy was attacked in Paisley. The incident happened around 8.15pm on Tuesday, March 3, on Meetinghouse Lane in the town. Declyn Haggerty appeared in private at Paisley Sheriff Court on...
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PLANSTO MERGESIX SCHOOLSIN SHAKE-UP
All Johnstone primary schools bar one could be amalgamated as part of a mass redesign of education in the town. Renfrewshire Council has revealed plans to cut the number of primaries in Johnstone from seven to four, while proposals for a newbuild...
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ARRESTMADE OVERRAPEOF TEENAGEBOY
A man has been charged in connection with the rape of a teenage boy in Paisley. The incident happened on Meetinghouse Lane in the centre of the town around 8.15pm on Tuesday. Police Scotland had launched an investigation into what they described as a...
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