The former chairman of Ukip in Scotland has been placed on the sex offenders register after making a string of vulgar phone calls to women.
Arthur 'Misty' Thackeray, 55, admitted carrying out ten sexual offences between October 2007 and December 2015 involving ten different women.
All of the calls took place at his home in Glasgow's east end, at the party's base in Edinburgh and elsewhere.
He took some of the numbers from posters advertising slimming classes and phoned the unsuspecting women.
Phone records revealed Thackeray made a call to a taxi company arranging a lift from his former office to Haymarket train station on the same night some of the calls were made.
Thackeray pled guilty to nine charges of intentionally sending, or directing "sexual verbal communication" between December 1, 2010, and December 19, 2015.
One charge pre-dates the Sexual Offences Act which came into force in 2009, while there was also a breach of the peace charge between October 2007 and February 2008.
At Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday, Thackeray was handed a community payback order with the conditions he will be supervised for three years, will carry out 270 hours of unpaid work within nine months and will be on the sex offenders register for three years.
Sheriff Martin Jones QC told him: "Be under no illusion, these offences you committed against these women are serious and caused distress."
The court heard none of the women know Thackeray or how he got their numbers but it is believed he took some from posters advertising slimming classes and one from a sales advert in a shop window.
The ages of his victims ranged from 25 to 66 years old at the time of the offences.
Procurator fiscal depute Mark Allan confirmed the matter was first reported to the police in September 2013.
He said: "Whilst the police investigated there was insufficient evidence at that time.
"This was until December 2015 when another woman contacted the police and reported the calls being made to her."
Although the calls were made from a withheld number, the woman's phone service provider was able to help trace the number registered to Thackeray.
His home was searched and phones recovered and analysed. It was found Thackeray had made a call to Central Taxis in Edinburgh on December 18, 2015.
Mr Allan added: "Between 10pm and 11pm there was a call, the accused's voice identified,
made to the taxi company using his nickname Misty."He arranged for a taxi to take him from the office where he worked in Edinburgh where he was the chief of staff for an MEP to take him to Haymarket Station."
The woman described being "disgusted" and one said she also felt "violated and alarmed".
Defence lawyer Callum Hiller said his client has given up alcohol since committing the offences.
He added: "He now completely regrets his actions, he fully understands the significant distress his behaviour would have caused - if he could take it back he most certainly would."
too late now mate 
Login
Register
FAQ
