Latest news with #Ardgay
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
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.
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Trans Scottish castle owner ‘expelled' from council
A transgender Scottish castle owner has branded the local community council a 'lynch mob' for orchestrating a campaign to remove them from the group. Samantha Kane, who styles themself as Lady Carbisdale after buying Carbisdale Castle near Ardgay in 2022, had been accused of acting 'like a football hooligan' in meetings, stamping their feet and behaving 'like a six-year-old'. Around 150 members of the Ardgay and District community council in Sutherland voted unanimously in favour of dissolving the council on Thursday night, before signing a petition for it to be reformed – without the castle owner. Kane is the only person in Britain to have changed gender three times. Born in Iraq as a man named Sam Hashimi, they had surgery in 1997 to become Samantha, before a second operation in 2004 and name change to Charles Kane, and then a third surgery to become Samantha again in 2018. Kane said: '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 the public meeting last night, unlawful. 'It was predetermined by bias against me based on malice, hatred and discrimination. My human rights have also 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.' The dissolution motion had been proposed by vice-chairman Robert Sawyer and seconded by chairman Les Waugh, with all of the councillors present except Kane in favour. Mr Waugh said the community council had received written and verbal complaints about the castle owner's behaviour at meetings. He previously said: 'Her behaviour at community council meetings has been appalling. 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. 'All we ever hear about is Samantha Kane and Carbisdale Castle and the community benefit from it is nil. 'She also bangs on about the Highlands not being ready for transgenders – that is b------. We have several transgender people in our community and several gay couples. Sexuality is nothing. We like nice people and she has not been very pleasant.' Mass resignations in February last year caused the council to collapse but failed to depose Kane, at the time the vice-chairperson, who was the only councillor not to resign. However, dissolution means a new council must now be elected. 'Outright hate' Kane, a trained engineer, barrister and business tycoon, said: 'Some of the behaviour I have been subjected to belongs to the Middle Ages. 'I have experienced such outright hate. No matter what I do, they are all set upon expelling me from the castle and the area.' Kane has recently put the castle on the market for £3.5m, claiming the rural area is 'not ready' for a transgender owner. Kane bought Carbisdale Castle in 2022 to fulfil the dream of becoming a 'princess in her own fairytale', and has since ploughed millions of pounds into restoring the dilapidated 118-year-old, 19-bedroom castle to its former glory.
