Leader of Falkirk anti-immigration group admits swearing at and abusing police officer

The leader of a group opposed to illegal migration, involved in months of protests outside an asylum-seekers’ hotel, could be electronically tagged after he admitted swearing and abusing a police officer.

Connor Graham, 28, organiser of Save Our Futures & Our Kids’ Futures until it disbanded just on Tuesday, pleaded guilty to statutory breach of the peace on Wednesday.

Falkirk Sheriff Court heard that the allegations stemmed from incidents outside the Hotel Cladhan on Kemper Avenue, Falkirk, on December 6.

Graham, of Stenhousemuir, Stirlingshire, admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner likely to cause a reasonable person fear and alarm.

He admitted to acting aggressively, shouting, swearing, and uttering threatening and derogatory remarks to a PC, who was then on duty. One of the “derogatory remarks” is said to have been a disablist slur against the officer.

The prosecution accepted Graham’s plea of not guilty to a second charge alleging he was attempting to incite violence.

The court heard Graham has previous convictions for dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

Solicitor Simon Hutchison, defending, said Graham had “not been in a lot” of trouble in the last four to five years.

He said Graham’s record was “mostly road traffic”.

Sheriff Christopher Shead deferred sentence until March 6 for a justice social work report and an assessment of Graham’s suitability for the imposition of a restriction of liberty order – a home curfew enforced by an electronic ankle tag.

He said: “The court will need a report before deciding how best to deal with this case. Given the context, it’s necessary.”

Bail was continued.

The prosecution will narrate the facts of the case at the sentencing hearing.