Paedophile is NOT in area insist cops
False reports suggested Mark Feely was at large
NIKI TENNANT
Police and South Lanarkshire Council have confirmed there is no substance to recent reports posted on social media about a convicted paedophile being seen in the Rutherglen area.
A Facebook post warning parents to be vigilant after supposed sightings of Mark Feely sparked a flurry of activity online.
Social media speculation was rife that the sex offender had moved from the Midlands to Paisley and then on to Rutherglen.
Facebook postings placed him near Cathkin Primary School and in the Fernhill and Springhall areas last week.
One seemingly spurious post stated that a man had been chased away from outside the school.
A police spokesperson said there were no reports of such an incident, or of another claim on social media that a man had attempted to get a girl inside a white can in Neilvaig Drive, Fernhill, on Thursday.
A further false claim was that Feely had been hit by a car.
Now, a senior police officer and a Rutherglen councillor are seeking to call a halt to rumours by confirming that Feely is registered in England and is neither living in nor visiting Rutherglen or Paisley.
Rutherglen Councillor Margaret Cowie said: “I am confident that the man named on Facebook and whose image appeared does not reside in my ward. He has not visited the area. He has been spoken to and is not anywhere near here.
“Any incidents that have been reported are part of ongoing inquiries, and Mark Feely is not linked to these inquiries.”
Having added her own online post clarifying that Police Scotland and South Lanarkshire Council’s Department of Housing confirmed that Feely is not living in or visiting the area, she stated categorically: “He has not been in the vicinity. My post was just to reassure the communities this man was not in the area. I was assured by South Lanarkshire Housing that he is not known to them or residing in the area.”
A spokesperson for South Lanarkshire Council said they cannot comment on individual cases – but confirmed that their housing department has no record of Feely.
Meanwhile, police urged Rutherglen residents to listen to facts and not rumours about crime incidents, after a 41-yearold woman decided to accompany her 14-year-old daughter on her paper round on Thursday to ensure her safety.
When they saw a man leaving a wooded area on Fernbrae Avenue, they considered him suspicious, approached him and tried to question him.
After he ran away, they attempted to tail him in their car, stopping on Castlefern Road to inform friends of their suspicions.
When the man reappeared and the duo began filming him, he reached into their car and tried to grab their phone before making off.
A crime report has been raised and enquiries are ongoing.
Inspector Stephen McManus, of Rutherglen community policing team, said: “This perfectly highlights the issues that can arise from misinformation being posted on social media and members of the public deciding that someone is suspicious and approaching them.”