Sturgeon hopeful of relaxing meet rules
Child killer won’t return north of Border after he’s released from prison ‘very soon’ Sisters campaign for fiend to be put on sex offenders’ list
NICOLA Sturgeon has said she is hopeful that rules on outdoor meetings could soon be relaxed. But she warned Scots “not to get carried away” as the daily number of Covid cases dropped to its lowest level since September. A total of 498 people received positive test results on Thursday – the first time the figure has dropped below 500 in more than six months. The First Minister is due to update the Scottish Parliament on lockdown on Tuesday and said there could be an announcement on “relatively minor, but important changes to the rules around our ability to meet people outdoors”. Speaking at her media briefing yesterday, Sturgeon said: “It’s important that we don’t get carried away yet. “The ‘Stay at Home’ message needs to remain in place for a bit longer so we don’t send our progress into reverse, but I’m keen to get more potential to see loved ones.” She urged people to stick with the rules, saying if people did that she was “really, really optimistic that we will continue to see the progress we need to see to start opening things up and getting us all back to much more reality”. She said case numbers had reduced to the level they were at in September or October. Sturgeon warned: “We also know then just how quickly things started to go in the wrong direction. “It is really important we stick with it for now, hold our nerve, keep suppressing cases while vaccination does its job. “If we do all of that, we can be really hopeful that there are definitely, at long last, better days lying ahead.”
A MURDERER who raped and killed a schoolgirl 35 years ago won’t be returning to Scotland on his release following a campaign by his victim’s family.
We told last week how evil Adam Stein, from Glasgow, was preparing to go free from prison after abducting and brutally killing six-year-old Collette Gallacher in the English steel town of Corby in 1986.
Collette’s sisters had warned Scots that the 61-year-old could return to his home city but have now learned he will be released to an undisclosed address in the south-east of England.
A campaign by Claire and Lauren Holmes to have Stein’s name added to the sex offenders’ register has also led to a review of restrictions.
The killer will now be subject to the strictest possible MultiAgency Public Protection
Arrangements on his release. However, the sisters learned this week that their appeal against his parole had been rejected and he is expected to be back on the streets imminently.
Claire told the Record: “Our appeal for his release was unsuccessful.
“We won’t know the date, we will just get a call when he’s released. They used the term ‘very soon’.
“He will have very strict stipulations which treat him like a sex offender but without the formality of his name being added to it. It means senior management will deal with him.
“It’s great news and an extra level of protection but we’re still going to pursue our campaign. We’re not going to stop yet.”
Tragic Collette was snatched by Stein as she went to catch the bus to school.
Her mum Karen made a public appeal to find her in the town known as Little Scotland due to its large expat community but Collette’s body was discovered in Stein’s loft five days after she disappeared.
A court heard how he lured Collette into his flat with crisps after his wife fled with their young son, before sexually assaulting and suffocating the schoolgirl.
Stein, understood to have left Scotland in the 80s after previously being quizzed over a sex attack here, was given a life sentence with his tariff for parole set at 18-20 years. In 2016, he was released to an address in the south-east of England but was back behind bars within 14 months for driving offences.
The Parole Board has confirmed a panel directed the release of Stein after examining a range of evidence.
Collette’s family are fighting the fact he is not a Registered Sex Offender as the register did not come into force until 1997 and because he was not convicted of Collette’s rape – despite details of the sex attack forming part of his trial and a later inquest.
Claire, 29, who was born after Collette’s murder, and Lauren, 36, have been invited to a meeting with Harriet Harman, chairman of the House of Commons joint committee on human rights, to discuss their campaign to put their sister’s killer on the sex offenders’ register.
Their appeal has also received the backing of former home secretaries Lord David Blunkett and Jacqui Smith.
Meanwhile, the sisters have thanked the Daily Record for reminding the people of Scotland of Stein’s past.
Claire said: “He has to ask permission to move around the country but he may choose to return there one day.
“We are so happy the Daily Record has got our campaign up to Scotland.
“We want to thank readers for sharing our story and giving us such a strong support.
“Now, if he returns, people will remember him.”
Most fabulously fun to watch Sonny and Angela Hands down the winners of this are Sonny Jay and his pro partner Angela Egan. Sonny is continually challenging himself, and was the first to do an overhead lift. He also takes all the notes on board and has fun in everything he does. He is entertaining us and that’s what it’s all about.
Faye Brookes and Hamish Gaman rocked a royal look when they were doing Kate and William.
The skate was beautiful and Faye completely had the look of Kate down thanks to our wonderful wardrobe and hair and make-up team.
When you saw them from the back it looked like William and Kate skating. It was amazing.
HE HAS been blasted for his critical comments as a judge on Dancing On Ice, but John Barrowman reckons if you don’t like what he has to say then you should stop watching the show. John, 53, insists he is only doing his job – telling people what he honestly thinks. He added: “I say to all those who are unhappy and don’t like it… you’ve got a remote, change the f ****** channel. I’m there, you’re not and that’s it.” John also has some big ideas for the ITV show. He said: “I would love to see a transgender couple.” And he thinks I’m a Celebrity star Caitlyn Jenner, inset, would be perfect. John added: “Caitlyn did the [ice skating] series in America. I told her, ‘Girl, why don’t you come [to Britain] and do it?’.” Ahead of this weekend’s semi-final – with ex-athlete Colin Jackson, 54, Corrie star Faye Brookes, 33, rapper Lady Leshurr, 32, and radio host Sonny Jay, 27 – John has some special critique, for his very own fab-u-lous awards... including one for himself.
Rebekah Vardy and Andy Buchanan were the first to do the headbanger, which is the most dangerous stunt for a female skater.
Her head came so close to the ice when she was doing that Friends routine. She was also the first to put a jump in her skate-off, so she has done two very difficult stunts.
Joe
This goes to Joe-Warren Plant because we were so impressed with him on his first skate we thought, “Oh God, this will set the bar for everybody and the score is going to be phenomenally high”. And what does he do? He falls.
But what I loved about it is that he laughed, he got up and – alongside partner Vanessa Bauer – was flawless throughout the rest of it.