Man and woman in court over damage to Trump Turnberry golf resort in Scotland

A man and a woman have appeared in court accused of maliciously damaging a Scottish golf course owned by US President Donald Trump.

Police were called to the Trump Turnberry course in South Ayrshire at around 4.40am on Saturday 8 March.

Officers found red spray paint had been used to deface the 800-acre resort's clubhouse, while its greens were also damaged.

Suspects Ricky Southall, 33, and Uzma Bashir, 55, were arrested and charged on Friday in connection with the damage.

Southall was arrested in Wakefield, while Bashir was arrested in Leeds, both West Yorkshire.

The pair appeared before Ayr Sheriff Court on Monday where they made no plea to the single charge of malicious mischief.

Both were granted bail pending a further court appearance

A Scottish government publication from October 2023 defines the common law offence of malicious mischief as the "wilful, wanton and malicious destruction of, or damage to, the property of another".

It notes the charge should only be recorded "where widespread damage is caused, where the value of the damage is considerable, or where there is disruption of power supply, flooding or similar".

The publication says there is no specific monetary value at which a potential crime should be recorded as malicious mischief rather than vandalism, but multiple thousands of pounds of alleged damage would be required.

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Co-accused Kieran Robson, 33, was arrested and charged last month in connection with the case.

He also made no plea to the charge of malicious mischief when he appeared in the same court on 31 March.

A 75-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman were also arrested last month as part of the investigation following enquiries in Oban, Argyll and Bute.

Both were later released pending further inquiries.

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