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Daily Record
30-04-2025
- Daily Record
Pervert masseur found dead after groping women while carrying out treatments
A massage therapist who was facing jail after he groped women while carrying out treatments on them has been found dead. Alistair Bennie, 61, left 10 victims frozen in fear as he sexually assaulted them in their own homes and his own property. All of the women, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, contacted Bennie through his Alpha Holistics company and arranged for treatment but he used the sessions to molest them. He had denied any wrongdoing and had gone on trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court last month but was convicted by a jury. Shamed Bennie, of Strathaven, Lanarkshire, had been due to return to court next week to be sentenced for his crimes . But he has now been found dead at a property in Hamilton. It is understood victims have been contacted by officials to inform them of the shock development in the case. A source said: "Bennie had been quite an upstanding man up until his conviction came to light which left many people sickened. "He had been hiding in plain sight for years and people were horrified that he had been in their homes. "He would have been told to expect a lengthy stretch behind bars for what he had done and it would have been fully deserved but nobody expected this to happen." A police probe was launched after two women complained about his conduct which led to others coming forward. Two friends told how they had booked Indian head massages for £120 but were left shocked when he groped their breasts. Another woman was attacked during an appointment at his home while a fourth woman was molested while her husband was in another room of her house. The attacks took place between September 2017 and June 2022. Ahead of the trial Bennie sold his detached home in Strathaven for £350,000 and also tried to offload massage equipment including a treatment table. He even took to social media at Christmas to seek out a flat for rent and described himself as a 'quiet and considerate' man but made no reference to the criminal case looming over him. Sheriff Linda Nicolson had deferred sentence on Bennie for reports and had placed him on the sex offenders' register. A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: "The Procurator Fiscal has received a report in connection with the death of a 61-year-old man in Hamilton on 29 April 2025. "An investigation into the death is ongoing."
The Independent
19-02-2025
- General
- The Independent
Stash of 15th century coins discovered by metal detectorists in Scottish Borders
A stash of rare medieval coins have been discovered by metal detectorists in the Scottish Borders. Keith Young and Lisa Stephenson unearthed the haul of 30 gold and silver coins in the Cappercleuch area in early November, though the discovery was not publicly announced until Wednesday by the Treasure Trove Unit. Archaeologists then excavated the site, finding five more coins. The 15th century artefacts are a mixture of Scots and English coins, with English silver groats minted by King Henry V, King Edward IV, and Scottish gold demys and half-demys minted by Kings James I and II. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, which announced the discovery, said it is likely the coins were deposited at the site in the early to mid-1460s. After discovering the coins, the duo reported them to the Treasure Trove Unit, which assesses all Scottish archaeological finds. It will then refer it to the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel, an independent panel which will assign the coins a monetary value, which will be paid to the finders. Mr Young said: 'Lisa and I have been lucky enough to have found some wonderful artefacts while metal detecting, but nothing quite prepared us for a find like this. 'Hopefully the hoard will go on public display for others to enjoy.' Ms Stephenson added: 'The hoard is the find of a lifetime and being part of the excavation with the National Museum and Treasure Trove team was an amazing experience, something we'll never forget.' Antony Lee from the Treasure Trove Unit said: 'Coin hoards containing a mix of both English and Scottish coins are not unusual, but we do not see many hoards from this period in Scotland, so it's a fascinating find. 'Keith and Lisa acted promptly and correctly in reporting it to us. 'In turn we, along with archaeologists from National Museums Scotland, were able to attend and excavate the site, finding five more coins and documenting the circumstances of the hoard alongside the finders.'
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Newborn baby ‘stable' the day before dying following an infection, probe hears
A newborn baby who died in a Glasgow hospital after developing an infection was 'stable' the day before she passed away, an inquiry has heard. Sophia Smith was just 11 days old when she died at the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus in Glasgow on April 11 2017. The newborn became ill with an infection similar to MRSA, which developed into sepsis. In 2020, Sophia's case was handed over to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) which, earlier this year, announced a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into her death. Sophia was born at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Renfrewshire, on March 31 2017. The inquiry at Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that following her birth Sophia had difficulty breathing and a possible heart issue, so she was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the RHC. There she was placed in an incubator with one-on-one nursing care and a 'raft of machinery' next to her cot. She was also given antibiotics via lines into her body, initially in her abdomen and then in her left foot. The child 'rallied' over the following days, with parents Theresa and Matthew Smith being led to believe she would be home in 'a matter of weeks'. However on April 10 Sophia's health suddenly deteriorated and despite efforts to save her Sophia she died at 5.48pm on April 11. Samples taken from her body on April 10 and 11 subsequently tested positive for a bacteria called staphylococcus aureus (SA), which the inquiry heard can 'cause harm' if it gets into the body. On Tuesday the inquiry heard evidence from Lorna McSeveney, a senior charge nurse who had been on duty at NICU on April 10 and 11. The inquiry heard she carried out a routine 'package of measures' at the start of her shift at 7.30am on April 10 to check on Sophia's condition, and that these did not give her 'cause for concern'. 'She was a sick baby, but she was stable,' she told the inquiry. She took the inquiry through Sophia's medical charts for April 10 and into April 11. These showed, she said, that the initial signs Sophia was 'not quite right' came at about 3pm. This included changes in a number of vital signs, including her temperature, heart rate and oxygen levels, which were being constantly monitored. Small amounts of blood were also found in her airway. These signs continued to worsen over the ensuing hours, and she was found to be suffering from a pulmonary haemorrhage (bleeding on the lung). When asked whether these could have been signs Sophia had sepsis, Ms McSeveney said not necessarily, since they could have been caused by other things. She added that it was 'very difficult' even for experienced staff to detect sepsis in newborn children, and that the signs of the condition could be 'very subtle'. She was also asked if there was anything she would have done anything differently in the knowledge Sophia had an infection. She replied: 'I have gone over it in my head I don't know how many times. 'I don't think there was.' She said Sophia was being constantly monitored, and that from a nursing perspective she had done everything she could. She was also asked how handwashing protocols were 'policed' in NICU, with Sophia's parents saying on Monday it was 'frustrating' to see they were not always being followed by visitors and staff. She replied that staff had a 'duty' to ensure infection control measures were being followed, and that she would always challenge people if there were not complying with them. In the afternoon, the inquiry heard evidence from Pamela Joannidis, interim associate director of infection prevention and control at the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board from 2019 to 2022. She told the inquiry that any break in Sophia's skin – such as from a tube – could have been a 'doorway' for the SA bacteria to enter her body. However, she said establishing the exact source of the infection was 'particularly difficult'. On Monday, the inquiry heard that no other cases of the same PVL-MSSA bacteria were found in the NICU in the six months before or after Sophia was nursed there. Ms Joannidis was pressed by Iain Mitchell KC, representing Sophia's parents, on whether the infection could be due to a 'failure' in the ward's hygiene protocols around the insertion of 'lines', or tubes, into patients. 'How likely is it that there can have been the infection being introduced otherwise than by a failure in the protocol of asepsis, or a failure in the protocol of prevention of a line becoming infected?' he asked. Ms Joannidis replied that it was not possible to say for sure the infection was linked to a 'device', but said 'you could not rule it out as a hypothesis'. On Monday, Sophia's mother Theresa Smith told the inquiry she just wanted to know what happened to her baby. 'I want to know why she is not here, playing with her brothers and sisters,' she said. She added: 'She's dead. I live every day of my life knowing she's dead, knowing that absolutely putrid hospital caused an infection in my child and killed her,' she said. 'And when it killed her it killed me too. I want to know what happened.' The inquiry continues.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Baby 'would have lived' but for hospital infection
A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) has heard that a doctor told the father of a baby girl that she would have lived if she had not caught an infection in hospital. Sophia Smith died at Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Children on 11 April 2017 after contracting an infection similar to MRSA, which developed into sepsis. Police previously carried out an investigation into her death, alongside other fatalities at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) - including leukaemia patient Milly Main, 10, who died after a catheter became infected when she was in remission. Last January, the lord advocate said it was in the public interest to hold an FAI into Sophia's death. Inquiry to be held into baby's hospital death Sophia's father Matthew Smith told the inquiry at Glasgow Sheriff Court that he wanted to know how she got the infection and if it was preventable. The inquiry heard his daughter, who had Down's syndrome, was born on 31 March 2017 at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. She had breathing issues and it was decided to move her to the Royal Children's Hospital, which is on the campus of the QEUH in Glasgow. On admission, her parents Matthew and Theresa were told there was an issue with her heart. Mr Smith told the inquiry Sophia was gradually improving and doctors had said she was fighting well. He said he understood his daughter was "out of the death danger zone." But he said on 10 April - like "a bolt from the blue" - she suddenly deteriorated. It was then discovered she had a collapsed lung. Mr Smith said there had been a blackening of part of Sophia's body and an infection had been discussed. It was after samples were analysed from Sophia's post-mortem examination that it was discovered she had contracted MSSA, an aggressive form of MRSA. The inquiry heard Mrs Smith was informed this could have played a role in her daughter's death. Speaking of a meeting with a doctor after Sophia died, Mr Smith told the inquiry: "I remember Theresa asking an opinion if Sophia hadn't caught the infection in her life, would we have her?" According to Mr Smith, the doctor said she would have lived a normal Down's syndrome life. Mr Smith told the inquiry that he wanted to know how a baby who was progressing well could die within a matter of days or hours from an infection. Before the inquiry got under way, Sophia's parents, who live in Inverclyde, said they hoped to finally get an answer as to why their daughter died and if it was preventable. A statement read out by their lawyer said: "It has been a long road to get to this milestone that we have reached today. "We are pleased that a fatal accident inquiry has been finally set up and hope that by the end of this process we will know the truth about our daughter and why her life was tragically and heartbreakingly cut short." In 2020, a police investigation into Sophia's death was handed over to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) but a decision was made not to bring criminal charges. The fatal accident inquiry continues. More stories from Glasgow & West Scotland More stories from Scotland
Sky News
17-02-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Inquiry begins into death of baby at Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow
A fatal accident inquiry has begun into the death of a baby girl at Scotland's superhospital. Sophia Smith was just 11 days old when she died at the Royal Hospital for Children at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus on 11 April 2017. The newborn became ill with an infection similar to MRSA, which developed into sepsis. Police Scotland previously carried out an investigation into Sophia's death, alongside other fatalities at the hospital campus including leukaemia patient Milly Main, 10, who died after a catheter became infected when she was in remission. In 2020, Sophia's case was handed over to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and a decision was made not to bring criminal charges. However, a spokesperson from COPFS previously said this could be reversed if more evidence emerged. Last year, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC said the circumstances of Sophia's death gave rise to "significant public concern" to justify a fatal accident inquiry (FAI). The inquiry got under way at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday, with Sophia's parents seeking answers as to why their daughter died. Speaking on behalf of Theresa and Matthew Smith, their lawyer said: "It has been a long road to get to this milestone that we have reached today. "We are pleased that a fatal accident inquiry has been finally set up and hope that by the end of this process we will know the truth about our daughter and why her life was so tragically and heartbreakingly cut short." The FAI is expected to examine the circumstances of Sophia's death, with a particular focus on what role infection played, and the standard of care and communication. Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.
