Pride and courage amid the stories of tragedy
SIX days a week, 52 weeks a year the Evening Times brings you the best in Glasgow news coverage, from the courts, council, community groups, schools and streets. We report the good and bad of the city and hope the stories we tell encourage and inspire the public bodies and citizens of the city to do the best they can. Here, crime reporter STACEY MULLEN looks back through their cuttings file over the past 12 months
I WRITE this review of the year with a tinge of sadness. For after five wonderful years covering this great city, I am leaving the Evening Times to work for a national Sunday newspaper.
As a Glaswegian, I have loved every minute of my job, and I am extremely proud of the city and its people on a daily basis.
Despite my remit as crime reporter, I try to reflect on that in my stories where possible.
That is why it was my honour this year to meet the family of Christopher Spiers, who tragically drowned in the River Clyde in 2016.
I sat in their home in Balornock as they unveiled to me the impact that tragic Christopher’s death had on their family.
He was just 28 when he attempted to take a short cut home to his partner which resulted in him paying with his life as he slipped and drowned in the River Clyde.
After sharing their story with me, his parents Margaret and Duncan drew strength to start a campaign for more safety measures at the stretch of water which Glasgow City Council backed. It is through their campaign and support of the council, that perhaps more lives will be saved in the future should anyone find themselves in a similar situation.
The tragic death of Jennifer Morgan is never far from my mind, especially after hearing the circumstances in which the young mum was found dead.
I was among one of the first reporters on the scene after she was murdered in Kirkintilloch. A neighbour recalled how her daughter, 11, found her in a pool of blood after returning home from school. I can’t even begin to imagine how that little girl is feeling.
Jennifer’s former partner Hugh Baird was arrested and charged with the murder. While waiting on remand, he was found dead in his Barlinnie Prison cell.
Despite his own grief, Jennifer’s brave dad Terry spoke to the Evening Times from his home in Gibraltar. His words upon hearing of the murder-accused’s death were, “I never wanted this outcome. Justice, yes, but not at the cost of someone’s life.”
I think of the family and how sad this festive period must have been for them. Everyone spoke highly of Jennifer and how much she loved her daughter.
The story of schoolboy orphan Giorgi Kakava has touched all of our hearts and I was delighted when I was the first journalist to reveal that he had been offered a permanent tenancy in Glasgow.
The 10-year-old and his grandmother Ketino Baikhadze have an ongoing battle to prevent themselves from being deported to Georgia.
Mrs Baikhadze’s daughter Sopio fled to Scotland seven years ago after her late husband allegedly owed money to gangsters. Sopio, known as Sophie, was awaiting the outcome of an appeal for asylum in the UK when she died in February after a long illness. That left Mrs Baikhadze, who has lived illegally in Glasgow for 14 years, as the legal guardian of her grandson, who has been in the city since he was three.
A petition which was set up by Springburn Parish Church Reverend Brian Casey has attracted over 80,000 supporters who are asking the Home Secretary Sajid Javid to grant asylum to the family.
The campaign had some success with Giorgi and his grandmother granted permission to stay in Glasgow for at least two-and a half years.
But the Church of Scotland urges the public to continue to support their petition for the family to be granted asylum.
The Evening Times was the first on the scene when the Victoria Nightclub went up in flames. I still remember firefighters standing in the lane trying to figure out where the smoke was coming from. Then minutes later the whole thing went up.
It was a tough shift for us all and we definitely felt the effects of smoke with our building, so close to the blaze.
I was also the first reporter to grab my laptop as I started to see messages on social media about a second Glasgow School of Art fire. As I sat in my flat, I couldn’t believe I was writing about another huge blaze in a year.
Since then the city has started to recover but the Evening Times played an important part in that. We called on the authorities who had stopped people from accessing their homes and asked questions on behalf of the many businesses who suffered on Sauchiehall Street.
I have covered many huge fires during my time at the newspaper but what happened this year was unprecedented. The response of the city’s firefighters, however, provided me with great comfort. They are true heroes under difficult circumstances and do more work than most of us realise in protecting this city. I thank them for being true guardians of Glasgow.
Happy New Year to all Evening Times readers and thank you for taking time to read my stories throughout my time at the newspaper.