Former councillor denies sending abusive texts

COURT: Police forensic officers could not recover any of the alleged messages

The trial of a former Dundee SNP councillor accused of sending abusive text messages continued yesterday.

Craig Melville, 37, is accused of acting in a threatening and abusive manner towards Nadia El-nakla, a former SNP colleague.

It is alleged Melville, who had been having an extra-marital relationship with Ms El-nakla, sent messages saying he wanted to “shoot” Muslims following the Paris terrorist attacks at the Bataclan theatre in 2015.

He is further accused of referring to Muslims as “filth” and saying a particular Islamic youth worker in Dundee should be “buried alive”.

He and Ms El-nakla had worked together in the SNP office in Dundee, where she was a case worker for Shona Robison MSP as Melville worked for Stewart Hosie MP.

Ms El-nakla was asked by Melville’s lawyer, Douglas Mcconnell, if it was possible the messages read out to Dundee Sheriff Court had been made up to “keep the heat” away from herself.

Ms El-nakla responded: “I did not write these messages.

“Craig Melville did.

“I was not an elected member.

“I had an affair, which I didn’t realise was a crime.”

Ms El-nakla said she regularly deleted messages sent to her by Melville because of their affair and that she saved his name on her phone under an alias.

She said she got rid the messages in question after challenging Melville about them.

“I found the messages upsetting. He said he felt bad about the messages and asked me to delete them,” she said.

Ms El-nakla’s estranged husband, Fariad Umar, told the court he downloaded the texts in December 2015 after becoming suspicious of her behaviour.

Mr Umar said he initially reported Melville to SNP bosses because he felt someone representing the public should not hold those views.

He also put the messages on a CD that was handed to police a month later.

Mr Umar said: “I went to the SNP for them to take the matter further.

“Someone in the party responded who said he would deal with it in-house and urgently.”

Officers from Police Scotland also gave evidence at yesterday’s trial.

Detective Constable Paul Mcilreavey told the court Ms El-nakla submitted her phone to officers for examination but, despite a thorough search, none of the alleged messages could be recovered by specialist forensic officers.

DC David Mcleod noted messages that had been sent via Apple’s imessage service sometimes could not be recovered.

Melville, of Marlee Road, denies sending threatening, derogatory and abusive remarks regarding Muslims to Nadia El-nakla between November 13 and 15 2015.

Final submissions are due to be heard when the trial reconvenes before Sheriff Scott Pattison on March 15.

Former Dundee councillor Craig Melville denies sending the texts.