Councillor sent racist messages to Muslim lover
Court hears husband discovered racist messages as he looked through wife’s texts for evidence of affair
Husband found abusive texts from Craig Melville on his wife Nadia El Nakla’s phone, trial hears.
A HUSBAND who told SNP chiefs a councillor had racially abused his wife is still awaiting a response two years later, a court has heard.
IT expert Fariad Umar suspected his wife Nadia El Nakla of having an affair and used computer software to examine her mobile phone history.
He uncovered her tryst with fellow SNP member Craig Melville – but also a string of vile racist texts the councillor allegedly sent to his wife.
Fariad was giving evidence yesterday at Dundee Sheriff Court, where Melville is on trial over the offensive messages.
The texts to Nadia – an aide to Health Secretary Shona Robison - included one describing a Muslim youth worker in Dundee as a “horrible c**t” and another saying “I just f*****g hate your religion”.
Fariad, 39, was so disgusted by the messages – allegedly sent in November 2015 – that he emailed some of them to the local SNP office and other politicians in December of that year, complaining about Melville’s alleged behaviour.
He told the court: “Initially, I was only thinking about the affair – but later I thought that someone in his elected position shouldn’t have these views so I sent them to MSPs and his bosses.
“The messages were in the email to his bosses and so forth.
“After what I had discovered, I thought he may not be giving the community the best. I thought it was serious so I left his bosses to investigate.”
Asked by prosecutor Joanne Smith what the party chiefs’ reaction was, he added: “No one has ever come back to me to say what was happening. I’m still waiting for an answer.”
Earlier, Fariad told the court he checked his wife’s text messages while she was sleeping because he thought she was having an affair. He quickly became suspicious of an apparent conversation she had with her best friend Karen.
He said: “The language wasn’t what Karen would use so I checked the number with one I had for her on my phone and they were different.
“When I called the Karen on my wife’s phone, a man answered. I immediately hung up and confronted Nadia and she played down the relationship.
“I then used the data recovery software to download all her deleted messages and discovered the racist texts I found concerning.
“I didn’t like the messages at all because in some he was referring to God. I wasn’t happy with what I was reading.”
Fariad said he downloaded the texts on to a disc that was handed to police investigating an allegation of an incident at the city’s mosque – a matter that was never brought to court. Ms Smith asked him: “If it was suggested that you somehow manufactured or fabricated these messages, what would you say to that?”
He replied: “I’d say that’s a lie.”
Melville, 37, who resigned his post as a Dundee City councillor and aide to SNP MP Stewart Hosie over the allegations, is alleged to have sent the texts to Nadia on the two days after the 2015
Paris
terror attacks. One text allegedly read: “It’s not personal I just f*****g hate your religion and I’ll do all in I’m life do defeat your filth.”
Another text said: “And in your favour we live in an uneducated left lift loopy left wing society who is more interested in claiming benefits and being ignorant to the threat of your horrible disease which is a make believe **** in the sky. “Horrible murdering Islamic *****.” Another text said: “And Muslim politicians in the UK have a duty to speak out and educate.
“That should be their number one priority, not staged photos taking refugees off boats and writing patronising messages of support.”
Earlier, the court heard Nadia admitting the affair with Melville.
She said she deliberately changed his name on her phone to Karen to avoid suspicion as they were calling and texting each other so much.
She said: “I would delete messages from Craig so my husband wouldn’t see them. I had his name stored under the name of Karen because he messaged me all the time.
“My husband would be suspicious because we messaged constantly throughout the day.
“I showed the racist text messages to a friend on the Monday who was also a friend of Craig’s. I asked him, ‘I know people get drunk but is this a bit far or what?’
“I felt the messages were a wee bit harsh – but people say and do things when they’re drunk they don’t actually mean.”
The court also heard from Detective Constable Paul McIlravey who confirmed that no racist messages were actually recovered from Nadia’s phone and the only evidence provided to him was the CD given to him by Fariad.
Melville, of Marlee Road, Dundee, denies a charge under the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act, which is alleged to have been aggravated by religious prejudice.
Court documents allege that between November 13 and 15, 2015, at Marlee Road, Dundee, he behaved in a threatening and abusive manner towards Nadia El Nakla.
Prosecutors say he behaved in a way “likely to cause a reasonable person fear and alarm” by sending a series of messages that “contained threatening, abusive and derogatory remarks regarding Muslims”.
The trial, before Sheriff Scott Pattison, continues on March 15.