Threatened to come after me with his spoons
Most criminals respect journalists doing their job but one who didn’t left me looking over my shoulder
BEFORE social media, journalists’ bylines were just names in the paper. In fact, I remember my first editor telling me nobody but other hacks looks to see who wrote the story. “The public just don’t care,” he said. But times have changed. Journalists are more visible than ever and more accessible to the public. It has made me think of the many occasions I’ve come to the attention of, shall we say, not-so-nice people in the course of my work. The majority of criminals don’t care about reporters. They know we have a job to do and take it as a hazard of their “job” when we write about their latest shenanigans. In many cases, in the interactions I’ve had with some “heavy-duty” convicts, there is a level of respect and some have even offered me “protection” – usually because they see me as a wee woman who needs it. Sometimes, they even get in touch to blow the whistle on other criminals and, strangely, it’s rare they will give you a hard time. However, I was reminded last week of one scary episode involving the man dubbed “The Blackhill Butcher”, who decided I was worthy of his time. Martin Hamilton was a feared gangland enforcer who moved from Glasgow to Edinburgh in the late 90s. A gay predator, Hamilton would routinely sexually assault young men, sometimes at gunpoint, as punishments and to satisfy his perverted sexual appetites. Hamilton wanted to take over the capital’s lucrative drugs trade and I had written a few stories about him. On one occasion, I wrote about his penchant for using spoons on victims’ eyes. I’ll leave you, reader, to imagine what that meant. Anyway, Hamilton decided to write to me and, while most of his rantings were just that, I was more than a little perturbed when he said he fancied paying me a visit – and might bring his spoons along. He also, rather weirdly, decided we must be related as we shared a surname. To say I spent a few months looking over my shoulder is an understatement. Hamilton died in 2015 in rather violent circumstances. I was more than a little relieved. Incidents like that remind me there are hazards in this job, too.
ASinger and actor reveals he’s ready to reprise his famous dance moves for reunion and says fatherhood is the best thing that has ever happened to him BY RICK FULTON r.fulton@dailyrecord.co.uk
STON Merrygold has insisted there will be no dad dancing on stage when JLS returns for a huge reunion tour.
All four of the lads – Aston, 33, Marvin Humes, 35, Ortise Williams, 34, and JB Gill, 34, have become fathers since the X Factor runners up went on hiatus in 2013.
And Aston, who has had five No1s with JLS since 2008 and is famous for his backflips, isn’t ready for Westlife-style stools. He said: “I’m still limber. “We may be four dads on stage and I can’t speak for everyone but I’m going to make sure I can move on stage and my back isn’t hurting. I’m in training now and probably everyone else is as well.”
While Aston often shows off his dance moves with his family on TikTok he had to go to hospital in 2012 after a backflip went wrong during a JLS gig and he landed on his head.
Engaged to Sarah Richards, the mum of his two sons, he’s not going to be taking chances if the JLS reunion tour is allowed to take place.
They are due to start a 28-date tour in Belfast in June and play two dates at the Glasgow SSE Hydro in July. The Beat Again tour had already been pushed back from 2020 because of the pandemic and the group are still unsure it can happen because of live music restrictions.
Aston said: “This situation is bigger than any music.
“We are in a global pandemic and are in the hands of
leaders about what’s allowed. What can we do? We have to sit and wait.”
But the singer, who came third last month in The Masked Singer as Robin, promised JLS fans that the boys are planning the same high-energy performances as they used to do.
He said: “We’re all older and uglier so it’ll be different for sure but it’s going to be nothing less than amazing.”
One place they can’t wait to return to is Scotland. Back in the day they always got a huge reception – which especially pleased Marvin, whose granny Patricia Hughes was from Dundee.
Aston admitted: “We can’t wait to come back to Scotland. The excitement is through the roof at this point. Scotland was always the loudest on the tour.”
Backstage will be different too from where they were at in 2013 after they decided to have a rest with all four of the group now dads.
Aston was the last to become a father and now has two sons Grayson and Macaulay.
Marvin has three kids with wife Rochelle, Ortise has a son with an ex and JB has two sons with wife Chloe.
Aston said: “It will be a massively different tour but at the same time all of us were friends first and even when we stopped we have remained friends.
“People have always asked
us when we were going to reunite and we aren’t like other groups who do it – we’ve actually spoken over the last seven years.
“We were sitting down having a drink and said ‘let’s do it’ rather than having to get into real deep issues about our relationships. “It all came naturally.” hen Ortise was accused of raping a woman after a concert in 2016, Aston publicly backed him. He was found not guilty in 2019.
Aston said of his friend, who came up with the idea of JLS to raise money to find a cure for his mum who has multiple sclerosis: “He’s good. He’s back. Back with the family and friends and everyone who’s been around him who has loved and supported him.
“It’s nice to move on to the next chapter and everybody be in good spirits and ready to push on.”
Aston is also in a good place. He’s filming the third series of CBBC’s Almost Never playing the manager of a boyband and has released
Wthree fantastic solo singles which have refreshed his love of music. While JLS are talking about new music and adding to chart toppers such as Beat Again, Everybody in Love and The Club is Alive, they want to get on the road with the comeback tour before making music. Aston’s comeback single, his first solo release since 2017, was Overboard. He’s since put out Share a Coke and Hundreds and Thousands.
He said: “I’m enjoying music again so it feels less like work.
“I had begun to feel the pressure of releasing music and having to always beat your last record. It sucked the fun out of it.
“The new music’s been there for a couple of years. Regardless of The Masked Singer I decided I was going to put out music in 2021.
“If anything, this last year has taught me that tomorrow isn’t promised. “There’s no rules any more.” The Masked Singer also helped to raise his musical profile again after he’d concentrated more on acting and appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017.
He admitted donning the Robin mask was for his eldest son.
He said: “The main reason for doing the show was to see my little boy’s face once unmasked… that reaction was priceless and better than thought!”
Even appearing on the show with the likes of his hero Ne-Yo who was Badger and winner Joss Stone as Sausage, and creating his new music, the pandemic lockdown allowed Aston the chance of quality family time.
His second son was a lockdown baby born in June.
He said: “It’s been great to be away from the crazy time we’re in and not be flying around travelling.
“It was lovely to have that time to bond with my lockdown baby.
“Being a dad has been a change of pace but the most rewarding thing that’s ever happened to me.”
I
The main reason for doing The Masked Singer was to see my little boy’s face ASTON MERRYGOLD ON TV APPEARANCE