Castle-owning 'lady of the manor' who has changed gender three times says she is victim of council 'lynch mob'
A self-styled lady of the manor is planning a legal battle against her local community council after it disbanded in an attempt to remove her.
At a meeting on Thursday it was unanimously decided to dissolve Ardgay and District Community Council in Sutherland.
However, moments later a petition was lodged for it to be reformed.
Samantha Kane – a member of the now dissolved community council – claims the move was fuelled by bias against her.
The landowner wants Scotland's top court to declare the decision unlawful.
Ms Kane, who owns the 19-bedroom Carbisdale Castle in Culrain, Ardgay, claimed she was the victim of a discriminatory 'lynch mob' and claimed her human rights had been breached.
The barrister, who named herself Lady Carbisdale after buying the dilapidated property for £1.2million in 2022, is believed to be the only person in the UK to have changed gender three times.
After this week's decision to dissolve the council, a furious Ms Kane vowed to fight the decision. She claimed: 'The meeting was pre-determined with the sole purpose of getting me out, which is discriminatory and undemocratic.
'I am petitioning the Outer House of the Court of Session to declare both the meeting which decided to put the motion and thepublic meeting last night unlawful. It was predetermined by bias against me.
'My human rights hav ealso been infringed by being deprived of representing the area as a councillor. I was not even allowed to put my case to the public meeting.
'I have never seen such a lynch mob – all that was missing were the pitchforks.
'A lot of the so-called public were not from the area and thus not eligible to vote. I believe that only 30 of those present were eligible to vote – out of a population of 800.'
Campaigners hope to reform the council without Ms Kane.
It comes amid ongoingskirmishes at the community council and a bitter row between Ms Kane and locals after she claimed the area was 'not ready' for atransgender custodian ofthe castle.
The latest move to disband the community council marks the second time it has been dissolved. It reformed in October after seven new members were elected – months after being dissolved by Highland Council when four of its five members quit.
The newly-elected community councillors had joined existing member Ms Kane, but at the body's monthly meeting on April 17 a motion to dissolve the council was passed.
Chairman Les Waugh said the community council had received written and verbal complaints about Ms Kane's behaviour at meetings.
He has previously criticised her behaviour at meetings as 'appalling', and said: 'She sometimes behaves like a six-year-old child who has been scolded, shouting at people, stamping her feet and banging her walking stick on the floor like a football hooligan.'
Thursday's meeting was attended by 150 people, who voted unanimously for the move.
Born in Iraq as a male named Sam Hashimi, the barrister had surgery in 1997 to become Samantha, before a second operation in 2004 when she changed her name to Charles Kane, and then a third surgery to become Samantha again in 2018.
The wealthy barrister has ploughed millions into restoring 118-year-old Carbisdale Castle after fulfilling her dream of becoming a 'princess in her own fairytale' by buying the property.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Keir Starmer doubles down on Israeli ministers' sanctions despite being slammed by US
SIR Keir Starmer yesterday doubled down on sanctioning Israeli ministers, despite being savagely rapped by the US. Donald Trump 's administration hit out at Britain after the PM broke with tradition and imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on two far-right members of Israel's government, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. 4 4 4 In a scathing attack on the move, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the sanctions 'do not advance American efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war'. Mr Rubio warned Britain 'not to forget who the real enemy is'. The US ambassador to the UK said he 'fully supported' Mr Rubio's slap down and warned the PM against 'impeding constructive dialogue'. Ben-Gvir, who is pushing to annex the West Bank and wants to permanently expel Palestinians from Gaza, said: 'The American administration is a moral compass in the face of the confusion of some Western countries that choose to appease terrorist organizations like Hamas. 'Israel is not afraid — we will continue to fight terrorism. 'History will judge the Chamberlains of our time.' At PMQs Sir Keir defended the sanctions as a bid to 'uphold human rights and defend the prospect of a two-state solution'. The PM said: "Acting alongside our allies, we have sanctioned individuals responsible for inciting appalling settler violence and expansion. "We will continue to support all efforts to secure a ceasefire, the release of all hostages despicably held by Hamas and the humanitarian aid that needs to surge in. Greta Thunberg's Gaza 'Freedom Flotilla' boarded & seized by Israeli forces 4
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Don't forget who real enemy is, U.S. warns Lammy over sanctions of two Israeli ministers over ‘egregious abuses' of human rights in Gaza
The White House has criticised Britain's decision to sanction two Israeli ministers over 'egregious abuses' of human rights in Gaza. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the travel ban and asset freeze imposed on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich should be reversed. He urged the UK 'not to forget who the real enemy is' and said the sanctions hindered the US's ceasefire efforts. In a major break with the US, the UK this week joined Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in imposing sanctions on the two Israeli ministers. Mr Smotrich, the finance minister, and Mr Ben-Gvir, the security minister, both belong to Right-wing parties that help to prop up Benjamin Netanyahu 's coalition government. They have both been criticised for their hardline stance. Mr Smotrich has campaigned against allowing aid into Gaza, and supported the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. Meanwhile, Mr Ben-Gvir has called for Gaza's people to be resettled out of the territory. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the ministers had been 'inciting violence against Palestinian people for months and months and months, they have been encouraging egregious abuses of human rights'. But Mr Rubio tweeted: 'These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war. 'We reject any notion of equivalence – Hamas is a terrorist organisation that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is.' Mr Ben-Gvir thanked Mr Rubio for his comments, writing: 'The American administration is a moral compass in the face of the confusion of some Western countries that choose to appease terrorist organizations like Hamas. 'History will judge the Chamberlains of our time.' Yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer said: 'Acting alongside our allies, we have sanctioned individuals responsible for inciting appalling settler violence and expansion. We've done that to uphold human rights and defend the prospect of a two-state solution.' Downing Street said the two men had been sanctioned in their 'personal capacities'.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Sheku Bayoh: Hearing to decide whether chair should resign begins
A former judge who is chairing a £50m public inquiry into the death of a man in police custody will hear arguments on Thursday on whether he should step down or see the job Scottish Police Federation has accused Lord Bracadale of holding "secret" meetings with the family of Sheku Bayoh, who died after being restrained by police in Kirkcaldy in organisation which represents rank and file officers believes the five meetings could lead to "perceived bias" and has called for him to "recuse" Bracadale has been leading the inquiry since 2020 and ordered the hearing to allow core participants to make submissions on his conduct. If Lord Bracadale decides to stay in post, the federation has said it will seek a judicial departure and the search for a last minute replacement after five years of work would delay the inquiry's findings by many has already cost the public purse £24.8m, with an additional £24.3m spent by Police Scotland, including £17.3m of legal stage is now set for a robust exchange of legal arguments between senior lawyers. Roddy Dunlop KC, dean of the Faculty of Advocates, will represent the police federation and two of the officers involved in the incident which ended with Mr Bayoh's police federation has said that none of the other core participants were made aware that Lord Bracadale was meeting the family and the details of what was said have not been federation's general secretary David Kennedy has said it has lost confidence in the inquiry because not all core participants were being treated Bayoh family's solicitor Aamer Anwar has described the federation's actions as "a pathetic and desperate attempt to sabotage the inquiry" at the 11th claimed the hearing could cost taxpayers "in excess of a million pounds" in fees for "police lawyers." Competing arguments One of England's top barristers, Jason Beer KC, has been brought in as senior counsel for the inquiry is expected to argue that Lord Bracadale's actions were procedurally appropriate because of the importance of maintaining the family's prosecution service, the Crown Office, will state its position, along with Police Scotland, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner and the Commission for Racial Equality and representing other police officers involved in the case will also have the opportunity to have their hearing is scheduled to last two days, with Lord Bracadale issuing his decision at a later inquiry has been examining what happened before and during the death of Sheku Bayou, who died in police custody. It has been looking at how the police dealt with the aftermath, the investigation into Mr Bayoh's death and whether race was a of the public called the police after Mr Bayoh was spotted carrying a knife and behaving erratically in the streets of Kirkcaldy on May 3, wasn't carrying the knife when officers arrived at the scene but a violent confrontation followed, with up to six officers restraining the 31-year-old on the father-of-two lost consciousness and later died in hospital.
