A Dunfermline dad and daughter who “waged a campaign of harassment” against a Jewish family over parking have been sentenced.
Lynne Gilbertson told Trondheim Parkway West neighbour Michelle Anderson she was an “American c**t” and “a fat Britney Spears” and both she and her father, William Gilbertson, labelled the family “immigrant rats”.
A trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard that on Mrs Anderson’s wedding day in 2022, Mr Gilbertson was heard saying “the rats got married” and referring to her adult daughter as “the rat child”.
Another time, Mr Gilbertson reacted as the family were putting up a menorah – a symbol of Jewish faith – at their window by calling them “f***ing Jewbags”.
Later, Mr Gilbertson stencilled internet-bought copies of rat images by artist Banksy onto a homemade wooden structure – along with a sign to ‘keep left’ on a vertical pole – and put it in his daughter’s parking spot, having blocked off the space with sandbags for 17 months.
Her husband, Julian, told the trial he took Mr Gilbertson’s box-shaped creation to mean “immigrant rats or Jewish rats, pointing at my property”.
The trial heard there had been an earlier fallout over claims Mrs Anderson regularly parked on or across a white line separating the allocated bays.
Mrs Anderson, who acknowledged she had sometimes encroached on her neighbour’s space, said the sandbags were “right up against” her car when she parked.
She claimed Ms Gilbertson would disrupt her parking manoeuvres by running out and taking pictures.
She said Ms Gilbertson also threatened to slit her throat.
‘Wages a campaign of harassment’
Both accused were found guilty of acting in a racially-aggravated manner, which caused or was intended to cause, alarm or distress.
Sentencing the pair this week, Sheriff Susan Duff told them they had “waged a campaign of harassment” against the Andersons and their behaviour was “appalling”.
The sheriff said neither of them had displayed remorse.
Sheriff Duff told 67-year-old William Gilbertson his position that he decorated his structure with rats because he liked Banksy artwork was “ridiculous”.
She said: “You decorated it because you called them the rat family and this was further harassment and intimidation”.
She told his 40-year-old daughter: “You terrorised that family because the wheels of Mrs Anderson’s vehicle encroached over the line into your parking space.”
The sheriff noted the psychological impact on Mrs Anderson was “enormous”.
Job loss
The Gilbertsons had denied making any racial comments and said the Banksy pictures were an artwork commentary on society.
Ms Gilbertson’s defence lawyer, Lucy Martin, said her client continues to deny offending and says she has never behaved in a racially abusive manner to the family.
The solicitor said her client, a senior staff nurse at a children’s hospice, will lose her employment as a result of the conviction.
Ms Martin said: “She describes it in the (social work) report several times as ‘devastating’.”
Mr Gilbertson’s defence lawyer, Chris Sneddon, said his client had led a pro-social life and has been a well-respected man in the community.
Sheriff Duff told the pair she considered a custodial sentence but had to have regard to the presumption against short sentences, noting both are first offenders.
They were given the maximum possible 300 hours of unpaid work and non-harassment orders, including a prohibition from placing anything on Ms Gilbertson’s parking space other than a vehicle for an indeterminate period.
They must each pay £1500 compensation for a camera system the Andersons installed.
The court heard Mrs Anderson now lives in Belgium with her husband, though they still own and visit the property in Dunfermline.
Mr Gilbertson, of Dempster Place, Dunfermline, was found guilty of repeatedly making offensive remarks and spray-painting offensive pictures on sandbags between December 1 2019 and October 2023, aggravated by religious prejudice.
On various occasions between January 1 2022 and October 25 last year, Ms Gilbertson was guilty of repeatedly shouting, swearing, calling the family racially offensive names, and uttering threats of violence.
For more local court content visit our page or join us on Facebook.
