Convicted sex offender who fought with father in Musselburgh school playground found guilty
A convicted sex offender claimed he was attacked in a primary school playground after parents circulated rumours on social media about his deviant past.
Calum MacFadyen was involved in a physical struggle with an angry father that was said to have left several youngsters in tears at the school in Musselburgh, East Lothian.
MacFadyen claimed he was forced to defend himself after being “violently attacked” when the man threw a punch and lobbed a cup of coffee at him as he dropped a child off at the school.
The 45-year-old said he had to raise his hands in his defence and had also taken a photograph of his assailant but was later arrested and charged by police following the incident in April last year.
MacFadyen was previously jailed for 100 days and placed on the sex offenders register for five years after being caught with a stash of indecent images of children in 2013. He was subsequently forced to flee his former home in Haddington, East Lothian, following angry protests from residents and moved to nearby Musselburgh.
Last year neighbours at MacFadyen’s new home at the town’s Stoneybank Road also held protests at his presence leading to an incident where he ran into the street to confront the demonstrators while carrying two large knives.
Shocking mobile phone footage was posted on social media that captured MacFadyen assaulting one woman and approaching his terrified neighbours carrying the blades on August 24. He was subsequently jailed for 190 days for the offence in November last year.
MacFadyen was back in the dock on Monday, March 9 where he was on trial accused of committing a breach of the peace at the primary school in Musselburgh on April 1 last year. The charge stated he conducted himself in a disorderly manner, shouted and engaged in a physical struggle with a man within the playground.
The school’s deputy head teacher said she had overheard shouting between the two men and had seen them “engaged in a physical altercation” that involved them “pushing and shoving”. The teacher said the violent altercation had left some children in tears and some pupils had been visibly upset for the rest of the day.
The school’s head teacher told the trial there had been “heightened awareness” regarding MacFadyen attending the school to drop off a child and she also witnessed the confrontation. The head teacher told the court the father had “barged” into MacFadyen and heard him saying “you shouldn’t be in the playground”.
She said MacFadyen had stood up from a bench and approached the man and that he could have left the area at any time.
She told the court: “My concern at the time was the children’s well-being and I was really worried about the children witnessing it and the effect it would have on them back in the school.
“I was very shaken and upset and there were several children crying and I was angry it had happened in my playground. I have never experience anything like that in my teaching career.”
MacFadyen, who defended himself, told the trial parents at the school had been circulating information about him on social media that he believed was “an incitement to violence” against him.
He claimed he had been acting in self defence after being “violently attacked” by the man and had been punched and had coffee thrown over him during the incident. He said he had been “assaulted without provocation” and his actions were only to defend himself.
But following the evidence Sheriff Frank Gill said the Crown witnesses had been “credible and reliable” and found MacFadyen guilty of committing a breach of the peace.
Sentence was deferred for reports to next month.