Latest news with #Lothian
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Commuting by bus from Edinburgh's suburbs is awful. Here's my solution
This week's Herald investigation into The Future of Edinburgh serves as a timely reminder of the capital's national importance. Edinburgh is the beating economic heart of the country. With one of the strongest records on Gross Value Added in the UK, Edinburgh is making the money required to fix the other struggling cities and towns around it. And a massive part of Edinburgh's economic success lies in its ability to efficiently move workers into and around the city. Read more by Andy Maciver I have lived in Edinburgh for about 40 of my 45 years, with my only absences being short stints in Glasgow and Dundee. I grew up in Currie; not much over 5 miles from the city centre, it is pretty much the dictionary definition of a suburb. Growing up, the borders of my world were close; my primary concern was getting to school, which I did on foot or by bike. However my father worked in town, and normally relied on the bus. Looking back now, that journey on the Red 44 or the Green 66 was relatively easy because we lived close to the Lanark Road, but was more of an ordeal for the majority of people in the village who lived down the hill. Currie experienced a very substantial housebuilding boom in the 1960s and 1970s but, with the Water of Leith immediately to the south of the A70 Lanark Road, all the houses were built down in the fields to the north, and expansion inevitably took place further and further away from the main road. With a 20-minute walk up a hill to the Lanark Road, and a 45 minute bus journey, we begin to see this as a very, very long five miles. It can feel shorter for those who happen to be near Curriehill Railway Station (which sits on the Shotts Line), but with only one train an hour heading into town, this is not a service designed with commuter convenience in mind. I now live inside the City Bypass, in Morningside. As was the case when I lived in Currie, I am very near the main road, so I can walk out of the door and find an array of buses awaiting me. As it happens, I tend not to use them, and instead I cycle to work in town, trying to avoid swerving into one of the new Lothian electric buses as I dodge the potholes on our truly deplorable roads. Again, though, you do not have to stray far from the main road to find yourself marooned in a location with no bus route particularly nearby. Morningside is only two miles from the West End, but for people who have, perhaps, a 15 minute walk to the bus, and then sit for 30 minutes as the bus crawls through traffic on narrow streets, it can be an awfully long two miles. Lothian Buses are up to date (Image: free) For suburbanites living away from bus stops, especially those who are elderly or immobile, the car is and will remain a necessary feature in their lives, and we need to provide them with quieter roads. To do that, we need to give commuters who choose to use the car, or to stay at home, with better options. As a mechanism for getting suburban workers to work, Edinburgh's mass transit system needs to extend beyond the bus. Time is money, and with one of Scotland's key economic problems being a lack of productivity in the workforce, efficient mass transit starts to look significantly more important than it might at first glance appear. It is time not only for Edinburgh's local authority to generate new ideas, but for the Scottish Government to help. Scotland - all of Scotland - needs Edinburgh performing to its full potential. Edinburgh, conversely, is so economically successful that it relies on workers not only from its own suburbs but from Fife, the Borders, and Mid, West and East Lothian. Driving out of Edinburgh on a weekday morning tells you what you need to know. As you breeze along the M8, up the M9 or M90 or down the A1, A7, A68, A701 or A702, you count your lucky stars that you're heading out and not sitting at 5 mph trying to come in. Travelling on four wheels cannot be Edinburgh's answer, either for those coming in or for those already living in an EH postcode. There are game-changing options which, happily, would require relatively little capital investment, and in the spirit of the Herald's efforts this week to lift the lid on some of the key discussions the capital needs to have, I will offer two. Neither involve roads; the first involves the river, and the second involves the railway. The southern side of Fife - from Dunfermline and Rosyth round the coast through Aberdour, Burntisland, Kinghorn and up to Kirkcaldy - is constantly expanding and increasingly becoming an Edinburgh commuter belt. Rail can play a role here, but only for those who live relatively close to a station, so the roads take the strain. If only we had another method of connecting Fife and Edinburgh such as, say, a body of water like a river or estuary. Ah, but we do! I am by no means the first person to moot the idea of a ferry across the Forth, but past discussion seems too often to have revolved around a beach-to-beach tourist service rather than something to integrate with the mass transit network. Read more of our Future of Edinburgh series Instead, a rapid, regular, commuter-focussed service from a new park-and-sail at Dalgety Bay (probably), directly into the tram stop at Newhaven would be an efficient, productive option for the army of workers who come from the Kingdom every day. And, not to forget those of us who inhabit the city, we live on top of a railway line called the South Suburban, currently used only for freight. If we wanted a light rail line to complement the routes driven by Lothian Buses, cutting across the south suburbs and linking Haymarket at one end and Waverley at the other, with an easy spur to the Royal Infirmary, we could not possibly design one better than what we already have. It is easy for our local and national civil servants to spend a few decades poring over hundred-page strategies which lead to consultations which lead to more strategies which lead to more consultations. But when opportunities to fix Edinburgh's commuter transport problems are already sitting before our eyes, it mightn't be a bad idea to take them. Andy Maciver is Founding Director of Message Matters, and co-host of the Holyrood Sources podcast
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Scots voiceover artist claims Edinburgh bus company used AI version of her voice without permission
It comes less than a week after another artist revealed a synthetic version of her voice had been used on board ScotRail trains. A Scots voiceover artist has condemned an AI company for creating a synthetic version of her voice - which she says has been used for announcements on public buses in Edinburgh. Diane Brooks says Belgian company Acapela is guilty of "stealing her vocal soul" after they used voice recordings she made for them 11 years ago. The synthetic voice, known as "Rhona", has allegedly been supplied to bus operator Lothian to use for passenger announcements. Diane believes Rhona may have also been used by other transport operators, and thinks other voiceover artists are likely to have been similarly treated. She said: "I am sorry to say and unbeknown to me, my voice is the voice on Lothian buses. I had done a text-to-speech (TTS) project in 2014 when TTS was in its infancy and had known my voice was on Acapela as Rhona, but thought it wouldn't get used as it has been. "I have felt very strongly for a long time that I had to do something, but felt a bit alone about it all, and what chance would I have against a big corporate company?" It comes less than a week after another Scots voiceover artist revealed an AI-generated version of her voice had also been used on public transport in Scotland. Midlothian-based Gayanne Potter recently revealed an AI version of her voice had been used for announcements on ScotRail trains, which left her feeling "violated". The voice, known as "Iona", replaced older messages on some routes which were recorded by a human. Gayanne says it is based on recordings she made in 2021 for ReadSpeaker, a Swedish company. Diane said when it was revealed that Gayanne's voice had been used by ScotRail, "it has given me the strength to do something about it, as it's an infringement of my rights as a voiceover artist". She added: "The worst thing is that I have no control of my own voice. I don't know where it will end up and basically, they have stolen my vocal soul. At first I was quite upset, but now I'm really angry. It's not right. "It's a relief to know I am not the only one who is in the situation and am sure more voiceover artists will come out of the woodwork with the same issue. We must stick together and show a united approach to it all and we can't let these big corporate companies take away our identities and our livelihoods." Diane said she was now taking legal advice"as I want to make sure I have all the ammo I need to take on these companies that really take advantage in the most profitable way for them". She said: "I hope strength in numbers will truly resolve this issue as AI is becoming increasingly dominant in everything we do and as voiceover artists we must be better protected in our work." Her work has included BBC Bitesize, TV and radio advertisements, and announcements for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She said she had recorded phrases for her agent, Scottish Voiceovers, now part of Voquent, on behalf of Acapela, but she had not been clear what they were to be used for and did not remember signing a contract. The recordings were later used by Acapela to create Rhona. Diane said: "You are trusting your agent to do the best for you and look at things." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Performing arts union Equity said such cases had become common, which it said infringed its members' rights. Liam Budd, its industrial official for recorded media, said: "It is extremely exploitative for companies to use and commercialise voice recordings to create digital replicas of artists from contracts which pre-date the development of generative AI or were not drafted explicitly for this purpose. "Sadly, we have heard from numerous performers who have lost control over their voice or likeness, and had their privacy and likeness hijacked through the misuse of AI. Such misuse is an attack on our members' fundamental rights. "The union continues to call on the [UK] government for legal certainty around the use of historic contracts for AI-purposes and greater enforcement of existing GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] laws, which give our members much-needed protections, but are currently being ignored." A spokesperson for Lothian, which is owned by the City Of Edinburgh Council, said: "We have two different passenger information systems in use. One uses a recording of a commissioned voice artist for mp3 playback, and the other uses a text-to-speech engine to synthesize a voice. "Lothian is a licensed user of the text-to-speech engine, which originates from our equipment supplier and as such we were not involved in its creation." Lothian added the engine had been supplied by a passenger information equipment provider, which it has yet to name. It said it had "no direct agreement or contract with Acapela". The City of Edinburgh Council said it had nothing to add. Acapela, Voquent and Scottish Voiceovers have been approached for comment.
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Edinburgh roads: Miles Briggs launches campaign for Scottish Government to prioritise Sheriffhall upgrade
A Lothian MSP today launched a campaign calling on the Scottish Government to prioritise the upgrade of the most notorious junction on the Edinburgh City Bypass. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Tory MIles Briggs said motorists had been subjected to "countless hours of unnecessary congestion" at the Sheriffhall roundabout because of the long delay in starting work on the proposed flyover. He said: "It's ridiculous that after nearly 20 years of discussion and more than £6m in consultation, Sheriffhall continues to bring the Edinburgh Bypass to a standstill every rush-hour. An artist's impression of the proposed Sheriffhall roundabout flyover. | Contributed Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'From day one it was clear that the roundabout needed a fly-over; 40 years later we have a significantly larger population across the region but have seen no progress whatsoever to improve the roundabout." Funding for he junction revamp was included in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Regional Deal announced in July 2017. But the £120 million price tag attached to it at that time is certain to have increased dramatically. Ground Investigations were carried out in 2018 and draft road orders were published in 2019. But in 2020 the plans were put on hold to allow a review of the project as part of a Scottish Government budget deal with the Greens. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A public local inquiry was eventually held in early 2023 and the report, delivered to the Scottish Government in early 2024, is still under consideration by ministers over a year later. In a Scottish Parliament debate in 2018, Mr Briggs highlighted the economic value of the City Bypass and warning that gridlocked traffic was putting off potential investors to the area. He cited a report by Inrix which identified the bypass as the most congested trunk road outside London and predicted that the cost of bypass congestion to the economy could reach £2.8 billion by 2025. Now Mr Briggs has launched an online campaign, which will encourage the public to make their voice heard and put pressure on the government to provide a renewed commitment to this project. He said more than 75,000 vehicles used the bypass every day already, but that was set to increase since Lothian has the fastest growing population in Scotland and is forecast to account for 84 per cent of Scotland's predicted population growth over the period to 2033. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said: 'Sheriffhall is costing commuters and businesses in our region time, money, and pollution from congestion. 'However, due to Green party opposition and SNP complacency, proposals have been left to gather dust while costs increase. 'It is time for SNP ministers to act and provide the leadership needed to get the upgrade back on track. 'That is why I have launched my campaign to upgrade this notorious junction, asking residents across Lothian to make their voice heard. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Edinburgh and the Lothians deserve better than this and I hope my campaign to upgrade the junction will make SNP ministers understand the level of frustration motorists are facing and give the upgrade the priority it deserves.'
Press and Journal
7 days ago
- Press and Journal
Weekend court roll – a weeping rapist and two sacked nursery workers
Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases. A dog owner burst into tears and said she was 'heartbroken' after a court ordered that her unregistered XL Bully must be put down. Shannon Kane, 41, had previously admitted possessing the regulated breed without an exemption certificate at Tain Sheriff Court. But when she appeared for sentencing this week, the court heard she had still not managed to apply for an exemption for one-year-old Zeus. Since August 1 last year, it has become illegal to own the controversial breed in Scotland without an exemption certificate. An Elgin man who repeatedly called 999 and threatened emergency workers has been locked up for more than a year. Wayne Taylor appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court on Thursday for sentencing after admitting to calling for paramedics and police to attend his home more than 30 times and brandishing weapons at them. On another occasion, he even asked his sister, who was recovering from open-heart surgery at the time, to contact them on his behalf. When she refused, he turned his anger towards her and punched her on the chest. An Aberdeen man has admitted embezzling more than £12,000 from businesses in the Highlands. Ben High pled guilty to two charges of embezzlement at Inverness Sheriff Court. The charges detail how he took the money when he was employed, first at an events company and then at an Inverness soft play centre. High, 36, represented himself at a hearing in Inverness, which heard that he wished to change his previous not guilty plea and admit the crimes. An Aberdeen man who drove just yards while he had traces of drugs in his system has been banned from the roads. Lewis Robb, a scaffolder, had been moving van on St Mary Street in Peterhead last May when police carried out a random roadside test. At Peterhead Sheriff Court on Friday, Sheriff Lesley Johnston said banning him was the 'appropriate' decision. The court heard the incident happened on May 1 at about 10.25am. A former criminal lawyer who was caught dealing nearly £87,000 worth of ketamine from her Peterculter country house has been jailed for 18 months. Advocate Amanda Lothian, 65, was convicted of being concerned in the supply of the controlled class B drug from Lower Kennerty Mill in Peterculter during the Covid-19 pandemic. A jury of six women and nine men took less than an hour to find Lothian guilty by a unanimous verdict following her trial in April. During her sentencing hearing, Lothian represented herself and told Sheriff William Summers that she accepts that she was involved in drug supply – but denied the drugs were hers. A man who launched an unprovoked attack on a dad walking to collect his child from nursery has been branded a 'violent thug' by a sheriff. Eddie Macgregor targeted his victim in an alley near the Pulteneytown People's Project in Wick, knocking him to the ground and kicking him twice to the head. The attack left Macgregor's victim with a broken nose, scalp haematoma and a 'footprint bruise' to his arm. Macgregor, 29, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentencing, having previously admitted assault to severe injury in relation to the attack on August 2 of last year. An Alness man has been jailed after spitting at a police officer and telling her he had hepatitis. Scott Lapsley had breached a court-imposed curfew order for a second time when police found him unconscious at an address in Alness. After being checked by paramedics and confirmed fit, he was placed under arrest – but reacted by assaulting an officer. Lapsley, 29, appeared from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit two charges of breaching his curfew and two of assaulting officers. A man who told a teenage girl that her legs were the only reason he kept visiting Peterhead's Cross Keys bar has been warned he faces jail if he cannot be of good behaviour. Mark Davidson, 55, made the comment to the 17-year-old within the Wetherspoon bar on September 8 last year. The court heard that Davidson, who is unemployed, was in the pub at about 3pm when he targeted the girl with what he believed to be a 'compliment'. However, when she complained to staff members and they advised him to mind his manners, he then started to accuse others in the premises of being 'nonces'. A delivery driver has appeared in court accused of carrying out sexual assaults on two teenage girls in Torry over the weekend. Fidelis Amu appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, facing four charges. The 26-year-old, whose general address was given as Aberdeen, was charged with sexual assault. He also faces a second charge of indecently communicating with another person – electronically or verbally – and then sexually assaulting them. Every day our reporters are sitting in courtrooms around the area and now you can get their stories sent directly to you, five days a week. A Fraserburgh man who tried to collect packages of cocaine from the Post Office will be sentenced next month. Shaun Atkinson, who the court heard only has one previous conviction for failure to own a TV licence, appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court on Monday where he admitted to a charge of attempting to be concerned in the supply of the class A drug. The 46-year-old was released on bail for the preparation of a background report ahead of his sentencing. Fiscal depute Lydia Williams told the court Atkinson had attempted to retrieve a parcel containing two packages of cocaine from the Post Office in Fraserburgh's Mid Street prior to staff raising the alarm on June 3 last year. An Aberdeen man has avoided a prison sentence after he bought an illegal stun gun to emulate his heroes on US TV prank show Jackass. Raymond Hutcheon, also known as Munro, bought the weapon so he and his friends could taser themselves. Hutcheon – who also tried to import an illegal butterfly knife using the alias 'Raymond Babags' – appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted the offences. The offences, which took place between 2019 and 2020, were described by the 40-year-old's lawyer, Graham Morrison, as 'bizarre'. A dangerous drug driver had been jailed after causing a head-on crash into a family's car while 16 times the limit. Scott Nicolson was slurring his words and drooling in the immediate aftermath of the Ellon smash, which badly injured a mum and her 10-year-old daughter. It later emerged that Nicolson, 50, had been involved in another drug-driving crash just weeks before in Aberdeen. On that occasion, he was spotted swerving across the road and eventually ploughed into a wall. A convicted stalker has avoided jail after admitting harassing two women over a seven-year period after meeting them both whilst studying in Aberdeen. Andrew Will, who was convicted of similar offences last year, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to be sentenced for two charges of stalking between 2016 and 2023. The 28-year-old admitted repeatedly emailing and calling one woman and turning up to her workplace uninvited, causing her fear and alarm. Will, whose address was given as Cornhill Hospital in court papers, also admitted a further charge of repeatedly emailing Judo Scotland about another woman and making inappropriate comments about her – also causing her fear and alarm. An Inverness man who mooned a night porter at an Oban hotel after being told to leave its spa area has been fined £400. Liam Miller, 24, of MacEwen Drive, Inverness, was staying in Oban while working on power lines in the area. He had been out drinking on February 9 when he returned to the Oban Bay Hotel on Corran Esplanade, where he was staying. After stripping down to his boxer shorts, he joined a group that had privately booked the spa. A man has been jailed after leading police on a blue-light chase through Easter Ross. Alexander Burke sped away from officers between Alness and Evanton, reaching estimated speeds of up to 90mph. When he was traced and the car searched, a meat cleaver was found beside the driver's seat. Burke, 30, appeared before Sheriff Ian Cruickshank for sentencing, having previously pled guilty to charges of dangerous driving and having a meat cleaver in a public place. A British Army sapper from Moray has admitted attempting to communicate indecently with a child. Alex Tunnicliffe admitted two sexual offences, which saw him placed on the sex offenders register. The 34-year-old Royal Engineers sapper, based at Kinloss, faces being discharged from the Army. At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court he was warned the offences 'properly merit' a prison sentence but given his previous good character Sheriff Robert More chose to impose an alternative sentence. Almost two-dozen jobs would be put at risk if a woman who smoked cannabis lost her driving licence, a court has been told. Jennifer Anderson, 34, admitted being in charge of a car while under the influence of the Class B drug. But crucially, Anderson was not driving the car when police had reason to speak with her, Oban Sheriff Court was told. Anderson, of Strathmore Drive, Cornton, Stirling, had pulled into a layby on April 29 2023, when police officers in an unmarked car smelled cannabis from her car. Every day our reporters are sitting in courtrooms around the area and now you can get their stories sent directly to you, five days a week. A Mull hotel worker set fire to a boat in Bunessan after arguing with the owner in the pub. Peter Owens, who worked at the Bunessan Inn on the Isle of Mull at the time of the offence, admitted setting fire to the Orkney Fastliner vessel. Owens, 36, of Elderpark Gardens in Glasgow, was living at the hotel on March 27 2024. Oban Sheriff Court was told the boat was completely destroyed in the fire. A moped driver who got into a high-speed chase with police and crashed into a tree was found with thousands of pounds of heroin and cocaine. Lewis Edwards, 25, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, where he admitted speeding off when police spotted a drug deal taking place and tried to pull him over. Edwards, originally from Liverpool, took off on his moped at speed, leading police on a dangerous chase through the streets of Bucksburn and Danestone. He ultimately crashed into a tree and tried to make off on foot, but was stopped by officers who found thousands of pounds worth of illicit drugs in his pockets. A woman who claimed her German Shepherd was a 'good-natured' pet after it bit a delivery driver has lost a bid to overturn her conviction. Janet MacFarlane's canine, Diego, attacked the worker through a gap in the gate of her home in Drumnadrochit, on April 14 2023. Inverness Sheriff Court heard how the man needed stitches after the incident. She was charged with having a dog dangerously out of control following proceedings in September 2024. Sheriff Sara Matheson ordered Diego to be muzzled and kept on a lead and muzzled when in a public place – she also ordered MacFarlane to pay Diego's victim £600. Almost two-dozen jobs would be put at risk if a woman who smoked cannabis lost her driving licence, a court has been told. Jennifer Anderson, 34, admitted being in charge of a car while under the influence of the Class B drug. But crucially, Anderson was not driving the car when police had reason to speak with her, Oban Sheriff Court was told. Anderson, of Strathmore Drive, Cornton, Stirling, had pulled into a layby on April 29 2023, when police officers in an unmarked car smelled cannabis from her car. Two nursery workers who assaulted a four-year-old child at an Aberdeenshire nursery left the court without any punishment for their actions. Joseph Picker, 36 and Stacey Kerr, 30, were convicted earlier this year following a long and drawn-out trial that took place over a number of days across a 12-month period. Aberdeen Sheriff Court had considered the evidence, including CCTV footage, and found both Picker and Kerr guilty of assaulting the boy whose arms were left bruised. However, the pair were admonished by the sheriff, meaning they received no penalty and were merely warned not to reoffend. An Invergordon man was robbed at knifepoint in his own home by two people he had invited for coffee. Daniel McLean was accompanied by a woman who had both arrived at the property as guests of the unsuspecting victim. Once inside, the female accomplice held a knife to her host's throat and the pair forced him to transfer £100 into McLean's bank account, Next, the nasty visitors helped themselves to a soundbar attached to the man's television. A vicious killer who went on a spending spree after savagely beating a woman to death was jailed for life for the 'horrible' murder. Owen Grant repeatedly bludgeoned Lucretia Donaghy, known as Kiesha, with a weapon such as a claw hammer in the fatal attack. A judge ordered that Grant, 43, must serve at least 24 years in jail before seeking parole. This is due to what the judge called the 'exceptionally brutal nature of the murder' and the killer's extensive record for violent crime. A man has been jailed for headbutting his girlfriend after she refused to come to his granny's house with him. Lewis Ivory appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, where he admitted assaulting the woman and making terrifying threats to stab police officers. The 27-year-old seriously injured the woman during the ordeal, which took place on a footpath in Inverurie. In the run-up to the attack, the victim had asked Ivory to leave her alone and shouted for help from others. Owen Grant has now been jailed for life after a trial in which – on top of telling other lies – he denied murdering Elgin mum Kiesha Donaghy in her own home. On November 15, 2023, Grant repeatedly bludgeoned Lucretia Donaghy, known to friends and family as Kiesha, with a weapon such as a claw hammer in the fatal attack. On Thursday, a judge ordered Grant to serve at least 24 years in jail before seeking parole. Throughout his time in court, the 43-year-old told many lies that have now been debunked. At the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday, Lord Scott sentenced Owen Grant to life imprisonment for the murder of Kiesha Donaghy. Lord Scott told him: 'You have been found guilty of the murder of Lucrezia Donaghy on November 15 2023, a little over 18 months ago. 'On the evidence, the jury decided that it had been proved beyond reasonable doubt that you murdered an unarmed and defenceless woman in her own home by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with a claw-hammer or similar implement. 'Lucrezia Donaghy died as a result of blunt force head injuries.' A dangerous driver ran a red light during roadworks causing his car to flip over. And when Angus Mitchell was hauled before a sheriff to explain why he couldn't queue on the road like the other motorists – he blamed his diabetes. A sheriff told Angus Mitchell that he had driven as if he had a 'death wish' before crashing on the A835 near Rogie Falls – about 10 miles west of Dingwall. His solicitor told the court that Mitchell had panicked after experiencing symptoms as a result of his medical condition. A pensioner driver knocked a man off his bike – then failed an eye test. Allan Turner, 81, failed to spot the cyclist as he made a manoeuvre at a busy junction in Muir of Ord – west of Inverness – knocking the rider to the ground. Turner's licenced was subsequently medically revoked. His solicitor said he has since undergone a cataract operation and now hopes to regain his licence. A rapist from Aberdeen wept as he was told he would be caged for the next decade for raping a former partner and sexually assaulting another. Jamie Forbes, of Willopark Crescent, stood trial at Aberdeen High Court last month where he had denied all of the charges against him – including shooting his girlfriends with a BB gun. But the lout was ultimately sent down after a jury took seven hours to consider his case. At the time, the 33-year-old claimed his victims had consented to his sick attacks.
Scotsman
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
'I became the AI voice of Lothian Buses, but didn't know about it', says angry Scottish voiceover artist
Second woman discovers a synthetic version of her voice being used by a Scottish transport operator - in this case, Lothian Buses. Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A Glasgow voiceover artist has accused an AI company of 'stealing her vocal soul' for creating an synthetic version of her voice that has been supplied to Edinburgh bus operator Lothian for announcements. Diane Brooks told The Scotsman that other artists were likely to have been similarly treated after Midlothian-based Gayanne Potter revealed an AI version of her voice had been used by ScotRail for train announcements. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Voiceover artist Diane Brooks in her studio near Glasgow on Thursday | John Devlin/The Scotsman Ms Brooks said her voice recordings made 11 years ago for Belgian company Acapela had been used to created a synthetic voice known as 'Rhona'. She thought Rhona may also have been used by other transport operators. 'I am sorry to say and unbeknown to me, my voice is the voice on Lothian buses,' Ms Brooks said. 'I had done a text-to-speech (TTS) project in 2014 when TTS was in its infancy and had known my voice was on Acapela as Rhona, but thought it wouldn't get used as it has been. 'I have felt very strongly for a long time that I had to do something, but felt a bit alone about it all, and what chance would I have against a big corporate company?' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Brooks said when Ms Potter revealed an AI version of her voice, known as Iona, had been used by ScotRail, 'it has given me the strength to do something about it, as it's an infringement of my rights as a voiceover artist'. ScotRail said Ms Potter's dispute was with Swedish firm ReadSpeaker, which supplied Iona. Gayanne Potter wants ScotRail to remove the 'Iona' AI version of her voice from its train announcements | Gayanne Potter Ms Brooks said: 'The worst thing is that I have no control of my own voice. I don't know where it will end up and basically, they have stolen my vocal soul. At first I was quite upset, but now I'm really angry. It's not right. 'It's a relief to know I am not the only one who is in the situation and am sure more voiceover artists will come out of the woodwork with the same issue. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We must stick together and show a united approach to it all and we can't let these big corporate companies take away our identities and our livelihoods.' Ms Brooks said she was now taking legal advice 'as I want to make sure I have all the ammo I need to take on these companies that really take advantage in the most profitable way for them'. 'I hope strength in numbers will truly resolve this issue as AI is becoming increasingly dominant in everything we do and as voiceover artists we must be better protected in our work,' she said. Ms Brooks' work has included for BBC Bitesize, TV and radio commercials, and announcements for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The artist said she had recorded phrases for her agent, Scottish Voiceovers, now part of Voquent, on behalf of Acapela, but she had not been clear what they were to be used for and did not remember signing a contract. The recordings were later used by Acapela to create Rhona. Ms Brooks said: 'You are trusting your agent to do the best for you and look at things.' Performing arts union Equity said such cases had become common, which it said infringed its members' rights. Liam Budd, its industrial official for recorded media, said: 'It is extremely exploitative for companies to use and commercialise voice recordings to create digital replicas of artists from contracts which pre-date the development of generative AI or were not drafted explicitly for this purpose. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Sadly, we have heard from numerous performers who have lost control over their voice or likeness, and had their privacy and likeness hijacked through the misuse of AI. Such misuse is an attack on our members' fundamental rights. 'The union continues to call on the [UK] government for legal certainty around the use of historic contracts for AI-purposes and greater enforcement of existing GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] laws, which give our members much-needed protections, but are currently being ignored.' A spokesperson for Lothian, which is owned by the City Of Edinburgh Council, said: 'We have two different passenger information systems in use. One uses a recording of a commissioned voice artist for mp3 playback, and the other uses a text-to-speech engine to synthesize a voice. 'Lothian is a licensed user of the text-to-speech engine, which originates from our equipment supplier and as such we were not involved in its creation.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lothian said the engine had been supplied by a passenger information equipment provider, which it has yet to name. It said it had 'no direct agreement or contract with Acapela'.
