LABOUR MP Marie Rimmer has been cleared of abusing a Yes campaigner on the day of the 2014 independence referendum, but still faces another charge of kicking a woman.
Dennis Ashcroft had claimed the St Helens South and Whiston MP abused him and pointed in his face while he was outside a polling station in Glasgow’s Shettleston.
He told Glasgow Sheriff court that Rimmer, who was a councillor at the time, pointed in his face and told him to “keep your mouth shut” after a discussion about how closely his car, covered in Yes stickers, was parked to the polling station.
He said: “She was pointing in my face. Right up to my face. I heard her say something like ‘I don’t like you, don’t speak to me, keep your mouth shut’, something like that.
“She was angry, kind of school teacher attitude.”
Under cross-examination, the MP’s solicitor Liam Ewing said Ashcroft had tried to intimidate his client. He told Glasgow Sheriff Court there was no case to answer in respect of the threatening behaviour charge, as his client had not used foul language or issued any threats, and Sheriff Kenneth Hogg found her not guilty.
Rimmer is also accused of kicking Patricia McLeish, a charge she denies.
In her evidence she said she had struck up a conversation with McLeish because she was carrying a Unison bag.
Rimmer said: “I asked if was she involved in Unison as a member or an officer.
“She said she worked in local government and I said ‘we’ve all had it tough’ (through budget cuts) and it seemed to go wrong from there.”
The MP said she was called a “red Tory” and her party accused of “wrecking the NHS”.
Rimmer said she “wrongly assumed” McLeish was in the SNP but was told she was a socialist who supported Solidarity.
The accused told the court: “She came towards me and was generally angry. I said ‘you shouldn’t let politics do this to you, make you bitter’.
“She responded; ‘you’d be bitter if you were brought up in the east end of Glasgow’.”
The court was told the witness screamed “I’m not a nationalist, I’m a socialist, I’m solidarity” and dropped her bag to display a T-shirt.
Rimmer said McLeish came towards her before walking away.
She said: “Then she suddenly turned round and said ‘you just kicked me’. I was in shock, I said ‘I never touched you’.”
Rimmer says a crowd turned up and she heard someone say: “Get on to Tommy [Sheridan], he’ll know what to do.”
She said she was urged to leave the polling station by police but was not cautioned or charged.
She was later contacted by an officer and asked to return, at which point she was arrested and taken to London Road police station. When questioned by fiscal depute Adele MacDonald, Rimmer maintained her position.
She said: “I would never dream of hurting anyone or kicking anyone.
“I wasn’t aggressive, anything but. If anyone was aggressive, it was Ms McLeish against me.”
The trial before Sheriff Kenneth Hogg continues.
Skye airport plans could take off as Highland Council consider 104-page report
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here