Man in court over death of jail inmate
A MAN has appeared in court charged with murder following the death of a prisoner.
Steven McIvor 33, made no plea when he appeared at Alloa Sheriff Court charged with killing Michael Mowat, 46, who was serving a life sentence for murder.
He was remanded in custody.
Mowat was taken to hospital for treatment after police were called to HMP Glenochil in Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, at about 12.50pm on Saturday. But he died later. A statement from his family was issued yesterday. It said: “Michael was a much loved son, father, brother and grandad and he will be sorely missed.” A CRAFT distiller has knocked back monster offers from the Dragons’ Den tycoons for a share in his gin business.
Stuart Ingram – who makes his House of Elrick gin with water from Loch Ness – was offered £80,000 by Dragon Peter Jones for a 10 per cent stake.
And fellow Dragon Jenny Campbell offered the same amount for 12 per cent.
But after accepting Jones’s pitch on air, oil and gas contracts engineer Stuart had a change of heart and decided to snub both bids.
He said he was unhappy to discover that Jones was expecting a 10 per cent share in all his assets – including his home, Elrick House in Newmachar, Aberdeenshire.
He plans to open his distillery and restaurant at the house.
Instead of dealing with the Dragons, Stuart has now opted to turn to crowd-funding with a target of £350,000 to realise his dream.
And yesterday he said he had no regrets about his decision, which followed a meeting with Jones’s investment manager in London.
He said: “What had been offered and what I accepted, I thought, was investment in the whole of the business.
“His interpretation when I turned up in London was that he was getting 10 per cent ownership of my land and assets as well.
“I wasn’t trying to offer up 10 per cent of what Stuart Ingram owns. House of Elrick just operate from my premises.”
He added: “It was a bizarre experience pitching in front of the Dragons.
“There were five businesses vying for investment that day and I was the last – I think the Dragons were all pleased to see me with my bottles of gin.
“I’m so delighted they loved the product enough to invest – I was overwhelmed. But ultimately, it wasn’t the right decision for me or the brand.”
Stuart said that he deliberated the offer carefully before he decided to walk away.
He said: “It took a lot to turn down £80,000, especially from someone as renowned as Peter Jones.
“I just wasn’t prepared to give up 10 per cent of my whole estate – it’s everything I’ve worked for and it needs to be completely my own.”
House of Elrick Gin is made from juniper, coriander, citrus, angelica, pink peppercorn, sweet fennel, heather and rose petals plus fresh water drawn from Loch Ness.
Farmer’s son Stuart said: “The House of Elrick estate is pretty incredible and we have big plans. Our on-site distillery is due to open later this year which means we’ll be branching out into other spirits.
“We also want to open a second distillery and restaurant serving sustainable, local food with a creative twist, staying true to our heritage.”
Stuart was born in Aberdeen and raised on the family farm at Elrick.
He is passionate about Aberdeenshire and says his vision is to boost tourism and create a “must-go” destination.