Calls to axe sex offender’s imagefromfamousmural
THE owner of one of the most famous pieces of public art is facing calls to remove a convicted sex offender who was unwittingly immortalised in it.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has been urged to act over Alasdair Gray’s famous ceramic mural at Hillhead Subway Station in Glasgow.
The 40ft piece, entitled All Kinds Of Folks, includes a portrait of former Labour councillor David Fagan, who is currently facing a prison sentence.
Fagan, 53, was convicted this month after telling an undercover police officer he wanted to rape a child and sending her messages about incest and abuse. He was included in the work – five years before his offence – because he was instrumental in commissioning it while vice-chairman of SPT.
He appears in the bottom right corner, extending a hand over the west end of Glasgow, and posing next to the MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Sandra White. Ms White said Mr Fagan should be removed in light of his crime.
When a member of the public raised the issue with SPT last week, suggesting Mr Fagan’s likeness be removed, SPT wrongly claimed there were no real people included in the work.
But our sister title The Herald spoke directly to Mr Gray and his assistant Lin Chau, who both confirmed Mr Fagan was included in the mural because of his key role in its creation. Mr Gray said: “He was one of the committee that commissioned it. I wanted to put in some of the people that had a hand in it.
I did put other people in it too, including a street sweeper, and a Big Issue seller.”
On Mr Fagan’s court case he said: “I did not know about that. I am sorry to hear that.”
Ms Chau also confirmed the image was Mr Fagan and that he had visited Mr Gray’s studio to see the work in progress. She was also unaware of his court case.
Ms White said it was “a shame” Mr Fagan was in the mural and SPT faced a “conundrum”. She added: “If there was any way he could be removed from it, I would be supportive of that. Is there anyway Alasdair could work his magic to change who is in it, per- haps? It [including real people] was done with the best of intentions, with people who worked in the area – you have the flower seller and the homeless fellow and it’s all very good.
“But it is a bit concerning someone has been immortalised who has committed such a heinous crime. Certainly, I would like something to be done to remove him.”
The mural was unveiled in September 2012 after 14 months of effort, and Mr Fagan resigned as SPT vice-chairman six months afterwards.
Fagan will be sentenced for sex offences next month.
An SPT spokesman said: “If the artist has now confirmed the representation in the mural is Mr Fagan, this is not something SPT has previously been aware of and we will now discuss this with the artist.”