Ex-UKIP chief admits sex calls
Arthur Thackeray found the numbers on slimming club posters
Last updated 13th Feb 2017
The former chairman of UKIP in Scotland has avoided jail after he admitted making a string of vulgar phone calls to women.
Arthur Misty Thackeray, 55, admitted carrying out 10 sexual offences charges between October 2007 and December 2015 involving 10 different women.
All of the calls took place at his home in Glasgow’s east end, at 1 Colme Street, Edinburgh and “elsewhere”.
He took some of the numbers from posters advertising slimming classes and phoned the unsuspecting women.
UKIP Scotland leader and MEP David Coburn’s office is at the same address in the capital.
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 an December 19, 2015.
One charge pre-dates the Sexual Offences Act brought in in 2009 and was a breach of the peace charge between October 2007 and February 2008.
Yesterday (Mon) 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 womens’ ages range from 25-year-old to 66 at the time of the offences.
Sleazy Thackeray told one woman he was watching adult material and thinking of her and was carrying out a sex act.
Procurator fiscal depute Mark Allan said a 25-year-old female received a text from Thackeray talking about meeting at a swinger’s club.
She called him and he apologised and said he had the wrong number, then sent a message saying “You sounded really nice on the phone, do you know what I would like to do to you?”
Her partner then pretended to Thackeray the woman was a 14-year-old girl to make the calls stop.
The new mum later told police she was “terrified”.
He phoned four of the women on December 18, 2015 including a 33-year-old he asked inappropriate sexual questions to.
In some of his calls women could hear sexual activity in the background, making them think he was watching pornographic material when talking to them.
The matter was first reported to the police in September 2013.
Mr Allan 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 were 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 10 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 said “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.”