Ex Rangers directors hit back at false crime claim 'investigator'

The self-styled crime journalist was ordered to pay £400,000 damages to the two Greenock-based owners of McGill's Buses last year.

The 59-year-old vlogger has avoided a jail sentence for contempt of court for now over a breach of an interdict which prevents further publication of the claims. 

Leading Scottish businessmen, Sandy and James Easdale, have told of the "detrimental effect" the case has had on their personal lives and businesses after a deferred sentence was given to Mr Hendry as a result of contempt of court proceedings against him.

READ MORE: McGill's: 'Investigator' told followers Easdales can't silence him

The judge has deferred a sentence for good behaviour to see if he now complies with the interdict. The court will then reconvene to decide on a sentence.

The Easdales said: “It is hard to describe how these vile allegations affected us, our families and friends.

"The relentless torrent of lies which were freely available on the internet in every corner of the UK had a hugely detrimental effect on our personal lives and businesses. Our one regret in bringing the case is that these awful slurs were repeated endlessly in court and therefore could be reported in the media. It was like reliving the attacks again and again.

“However, on balance, we had to proceed with the legal action and the judge’s decision has sent a clear message to the internet fanatics who are ruining people’s lives daily. We had the wherewithal to fight back but most people do not. We fully support tightened regulations on the online providers especially where young, vulnerable people are under threat.”

Hendry, who calls himself a "citizen journalist" on his social media accounts, has previously been found to have used his platforms to falsely name and shame.

In May,  Sandy Easdale, 55, and brother James, 52, were each awarded £200,000 from Hendry who had been ordered to take down videos and posts which included disparaging allegations and warned not to repeat them.

But the blogger, who used the pseudonym Art Hostage appeared before the Court of Session after false claims were repeated at the end of last year.

The Easdales say that between November 24 and December 8, Hendry had been broadcasting a series of live stream videos on YouTube targeting them.

They said that Hendry broadcast at least one video each day between November 24 to December 8. They were described as "lengthy and repetitive, sometimes running for more than two hours".

According to court documents, the Easdales have reported the matters to Police Scotland and Sussex Police.

They have told the court that Police Scotland will complete a 'police transfer' to Sussex Police which would allow them to investigate and take any action considered appropriate. The court has heard that Hendry, who also published a blog relating to felt that he did not believe he had broken the Scottish court order because he was publishing in England and not Scotland.

Hendry, who continues to post under his pseudonym on social media, previously said he hoped that he would get credit and a third reduction on any sentence for taking down posts and "never speak about them again" and had stuck to that "rigidly".

In a judgment, Lord Braid said: “During the videos, Mr Hendry made clear, in terms, that his intention was to hound the petitioners and to continue to broadcast in similar terms on a regular basis.

“Mr Hendry accepts that his allegations in the videos referred to the petitioners (for whom he used derogatory and insulting names, which I find it unnecessary to repeat)."

He said Hendry's statements were "all defamatory" and said his conduct denotes "wilful defiance of, or disrespect towards, the court; and as such I find him to be in contempt – indeed, an egregious contempt, given the blatant and repeated repetition of the interdicted conduct.”

According to court documents seen by the Herald, the Easdales had been aware of media reports in August 2023, that Hendry had been guilty of harassment after making untrue claims that individuals were involved in criminality. He was fined £250 and ordered to pay costs of £660.

The court heard he had at the time been tweeting multiple times a day from the account about various gang-based crime and alleged organised crime members.

Hendry's Art Hostage accounts came to the attention of police in September 2022 when he shifted his focus to the Merseyside area.

He began releasing numerous videos and posts openly discussing a series of recent murders. He passed on the names of people he believed to be involved, apparent motives and alleged facts.

He was issued with a cease and desist order by Merseyside Police concerning his social media posts about the killing of Olivia Pratt-Korbel.

But the 59-year-old was later found to have shared social media posts which police feared would prejudice the trial of Thomas Cashman over the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel.

And in August last year, Hendry of Pevensey Bay near the seaside resort of Eastbourne, was found guilty of harassment in the case.

The court was told he wrongly named innocent people as being linked to other murder cases, leading to a man being assaulted.