Woman is accused of hounding canvassers at election

52-year-old’s trial postponed

The trial of a Cowie woman accused of behaving threateningly and putting people in danger while at the wheel of a white van during last summer’s General Election has been postponed.

This is to allow the defence to obtain a video of the alleged incident.

Lorna Taylor is said to have followed pedestrians – understood to be Conservative party canvassers – with the van while playing loud music, shouting abusive remarks, and acting aggressively and in a threatening manner.

The incident is said to have occurred in Cowie on May 25 last year.

Taylor (52) is also accused of recklessly endangering people present by driving the three-and-a-half tonne Renault Master panel van in an intimidating manner, failing to maintain a safe braking distance between the van and pedestrians, failing to maintain proper control of the 12-yearold vehicle, and failing to keep a proper look-out.

Taylor, of Hilton, is also accused of breaking road traffic laws by using a hand-held mobile while driving.

At Stirling Sheriff Court, defence solicitor Steven Maguire said Taylor maintained pleas of not guilty to all three charges.

He said the defence was still waiting to study a video of the incident, and asked for more time to be able to do so.

Sheriff Simon Collins agreed to postpone a trial due to take place later this month until March 18, with an interim hearing on February 20th to make sure all is ready by then.

Stirling’s Conservative MP Stephen Kerr, then a candidate, complained in May 2017 about allegedly intimidating behaviour by independence supporters in Cowie during the campaign.

He said Conservatives trying to drum up support “routinely endured” hounding by nationalists, and tweeted a video of a woman in a van playing Gerry Cinnamon’s song Hope Over Fear, which includes the lyrics “tell Westminster Tories that Scotland’s no longer your slave”, while lambasting Conservative canvassers through a rolled-down window.