Denny offender threatened to carry out another Dunblane massacre

James Lynn-Wilson (49) rang Police Scotland and asked for the Chief Constable's office before threatening to "act like Thomas Hamilton" at an address in Bridge of Alllan where Dundee-born Central Scotland MSP Stephen Kerr lived.

The Police Scotland operator who took the call told a court she "felt quite sick" when she realised what Lynn-Wilson meant.

She added: “I took it to mean he was going to take a gun and do exactly what was done at Dunblane."

She immediately notified her control and Lynn-Wilson was arrested on a bus in Bonnybridge.

A female police officer, one of several officers sent to intercept Lynn-Wilson, said he walked towards her down the bus aisle "holding his hands together in front of him as if he expected to be handcuffed".

She told a jury at Falkirk Sheriff Court this week: "He was saying he was going to go to – Mr Kerr's address in Bridge of Allan – and do what Thomas Hamilton had done. He just kept repeating sort of that same thing, over and over again."

Another police officer, who listened to and transcribed Lynn-Wilson's call to the police, described him as "angry, erratic and abusive".

He said: "It was a horrible call."

The court heard the incident, which happened in July last year, was the second time in seven months Lynn-Wilson had phoned the police mentioning Hamilton's name and making threats to go to Mr Kerr's house.

In December 2020 he rang police and gave his name, but added "some people called me Thomas Hamilton".

He then asked the call handler if she remembered the Dublane shootings in 1996, and also mentioned the name of a teacher murdered by Hamilton.

Officers went to Mr Kerr's address and found Lynn-Wilson two minutes' walk away – in an "agitated and quite aggressive" state in the very next street.

Lynn-Wilson, from Denny, conducted his own defence and cross-examined the prosecution witnesses personally during a day and a half of evidence at Falkirk Sheriff

Court this week.

He claimed in court he was the "sixth cousin, once removed" of one of Hamilton's 16 child victims.

He denied two charges of threatening and abusive behaviour but changed his plea immediately after taking the oath and beginning to give evidence himself.

He said: "I admit making the calls. I am guilty."

The court heard he had a previous conviction for stalking Mr Kerr, who is a former Conservative MP as well as a current MSP, and in 2016 he was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh for 26 months for doing so.

Back then the High Court heard there was a history of animosity between Lynn-Wilson and Mr Kerr.

Sheriff Simon Collins QC deferred sentence on Lynn-Wilson until May 10, saying background reports were "plainly necessary".

Lynn-Wilson was remand in custody until that date.

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