Former NHS Tayside chairman and regional council boss, Sandy Watson, has died only months after he retired.

Mr Watson, who was 70, retired as chairman of the board at the end of May after 48 years of public service, which also included a position as chief executive of both Tayside Regional and Angus Council.

Dundee city councillor Ian Borthwick, who had worked alongside Mr Watson for many years, said: “He was a man of fairness and it was always a pleasure to work with him.

“He treated everyone with courtesy and he had a very sharp mind.

“He always had the interests of the people of Tayside at heart.

“My condolences go out to his family.”

Mr Watson began his career teaching at Morrisons Academy and went on to be come director of education for Tayside Regional Council.

He later became chief executive for both Tayside Regional and Angus Council.

He held his position with NHS Tayside for almost 10 years, both as a non-executive member and chairman.

Mr Watson had also been president and general secretary of the association of director of education in Scotland, secretary of the Scottish branch of the society of local authority chief executives and chairman of NHS Scotland Chairs’ Group.

Mr Watson was appointed an OBE in 2003 and was made deputy lieutenant of Angus in 2007.

In a joint statement, NHS Tayside vice chair Doug Cross and chief executive, Lesley McLay, said: “Sandy was a man who devoted his life to public service.

“He held key senior leadership roles in a number of public sector organisations and he carried out each with the utmost distinction.

“He joined NHS Tayside in 2005, becoming chairman in 2007, a role he held for eight years. Throughout his time of leadership, the organisation was rightly regarded as a high-quality, patient-centred health board.

“Sandy was held in the highest esteem throughout Scotland and he will be greatly missed by our staff and his many friends and colleagues. Our thoughts are with his devoted wife Jean and family at this very sad time.”

Family members of Mr Watson were too upset to speak.

Autumn is officially under way, but Dundonians can hang up their parkas for one more week as the region is expected to bask in sunshine all week.

Temperatures are expected to reach as high as 16C across Tayside, while the rest of the country will also enjoy the “late summer”.

The skies over the east of Scotland are expected to be mostly clear with patches of cloud cover, but forecasters have warned wet weather may return during October.

While England has had the best of the weather throughout July and August, Dundee looks set to enjoy a much warmer end to September following one of the coldest summers on record.

According to Met Office figures, September has been the coldest north of the border since 1994, with an average temperature of just 12.2C.

The first signs of autumn started towards the end of last week — with cooler temperatures and colder winds — but the dreary weather is due to be delayed until the end of this week.

A Met Office spokeswoman said: “Dundee can look forward to relatively fine conditions as a result of high pressure, which is expected to dominate through the weekend and into next week.

“There will be a little more cloud on Sunday, but on the whole it will be staying dry with only light winds and mostly clear skies throughout the week. It will certainly be an improvement on what is usually expected from the final week of September.

“The jet streams work in a waving pattern and the high pressure is caused by weather systems being deflected towards the north of the UK.”

But people in Dundee should be making the most of shorts and T-shirts.

Forecasters warned that temperatures are set to plummet and rain is then expected to move in across the region.

The Met Office spokeswoman said: “The following week we are likely to see a return to more autumn-like conditions, with temperatures dipping again and more rainfall predicted as we head into October.”

During September, there has been less rainfall than the yearly average in Tayside, in what has been an uncharacteristically dry month throughout the UK.

The rest of the country is also expected to experience an Indian Summer, with temperatures expected to peak as high as 19C and sunny weather throughout the week.

The number of business start-ups near Dundee’s Waterfront development was today hailed as “very encouraging”.

The area has been described by a business owner and a leading business figure as one with lots of promise as the city gears up for the opening of the V&A Museum.

The Tele can reveal that, in 2014, 49 businesses were launched in the area surrounding the current development of the Waterfront.

And, so far this year, 35 have already been set up at various spots along the Waterfront.

In previous years, the number of businesses opening within the DD1 area — which covers streets along the Waterfront, as well as roads leading into the centre — were at 36 in 2012 and 31 in 2013.

Kara Swankie, the owner of gift shop and art gallery Swankie Jo’s, started up her business five months ago.

The 19-year-old said: “I could have started up my business in the likes of Broughty Ferry or further into the city centre, but this area is certainly up and coming.

“I see this space as a long-term investment.

“There are already quite a number of people coming into the shop, but, as the completion of the Waterfront gets closer, the footfall in this area will definitely increase.

“This area is not as busy as other areas in the city, but I am certain, in time, businesses on streets nearer the Waterfront will start to really benefit from the location.”

This year, businesses have been established in office, shop and warehouse space in Exchange Street, Victoria Road, Dock Street, City Quay and Commercial Street.

Tim Allan, the president of the Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, said the confidence business owners have shown in starting up in the area was encouraging.

Mr Allan added: “I had my predictions that business start-ups in the area would start to increase — but this had exceeded those expectations.

“With 49 start-ups in 2014 and 35 already this year, with time left in the year for more businesses to move in, it is very encouraging news.

“I think it shows the belief that business owners have in the fantastic opportunities the completed Waterfront will bring.”

One thing brave Dundee teenager Megan Fletcher isn’t going to be short of during her battle with cancer is the unwavering support of friends and classmates.

Megan, 14, from Coldside, is the figurehead of the Bald is Beautiful campaign, launched in conjunction with the Tele and Dundee fundraiser Charlie Kean.

Together, we hope to raise £20,000 for city families who have children fighting cancer.

The campaign was launched last week — with Megan having her head shaved before heading to Edinburgh Sick Kids Hospital for chemotherapy.

At that time Megan, who is in third year at St John’s High, said she had been overwhelmed by the support she was receiving from other pupils at the school.

And in particular, Megan said her five best friends have been brilliant and were backing her all the way.

The group, Carla Kane, Denise Emsley, Paige Tait, Lois Gibson and Kelsey Carrol — all aged 14 and in third year at St John’s — told the Tele they are all set to start fundraising for Megan’s campaign.

Paige said: “We can’t believe how brave Megan has been.

“It must have been horrible to be given the news that Megan was given, especially at our age.

“Everyone at the school has been affected by it and is talking about how brave she is being — particularly having her head shaved.”

The group is working towards a raft of fundraising plans, including a sponsored walk, a bingo tea and the annual dook in the Tay on New Year’s Day next year — and they

are even going to try to persuade some of teachers to shave their heads, too.

Megan’s headteacher Fiona McLagan said everyone at school was devastated to learn of Megan’s diagnosis.

She said: “We’re heartened but not surprised by Megan’s positive response as she once again focuses on the needs of others.

“We’re very proud of the strength and determination she is showing at this very worrying time.”

To donate, visit crowdfunding.justgiving.com/charlie-kean.

A young Dundee mum has spoken about the heartache of spending 10 hours in labour to deliver her baby girl who had been pronounced dead 48 hours earlier.

And now, Toni Mitchell, 25, wants to draw on her traumatic experience to support and encourage other women who may have to go through the same “nightmare”.

She said: “This has been devastating, a complete nightmare, but I was lucky to have the amazing support of my partner, Darren, and other family and friends.

“Without them, and without being able to talk about this, things might have been very much worse for me.”

Toni and her partner, Darren McDonald, from St Mary’s, were delighted to discover recently they were expecting their sixth child.

They already have five children — a boy and four girls.

Toni had secretly been hoping for another boy, but like any other mum, just wanted her baby to be healthy.

However, having gone for a routine scan at Ninewells Hospital accompanied by a friend, she received devastating news.

She said: “At 19 weeks, everything went wrong.

“They took a while doing the scan and then I was told they couldn’t hear the baby’s heartbeat. I was initially shocked to hear this, but I still kept thinking that everything would be all right.”

Toni was sent for a further scan with a doctor who confirmed the worst — her baby’s heart wasn’t beating.

“They confirmed that my baby had died,” Toni said. “I felt very emotional and distressed. My friend got in touch with Darren to get him to come to the hospital to discuss what happened next.”

After seeing a counsellor, Toni was sent home and told to come back to hospital the next day.

It was not until two days later that her labour was induced, and her daughter, Hallie-Brooklyn, born 10 hours later.

Toni was able to hold and cuddle her daughter and was given her foot and handprints in a special memory box, which she said helped her cope with her loss.

She said: “I was in quite a state and don’t really remember too much about the end stages of the labour.

“I would appeal to other women who have to go through this to talk about it — don’t keep it bottled up inside.”

A Dundee mum plans to skydive in aid of a little boy battling cancer — despite suffering from a debilitating illness herself.

Donna Brennan, who has Myasthenia Gravis (MG), a rare condition causing muscle weakness, wants to help the family of little Charlie Smith from Forfar.

Doctors have given the one-year-old a 50% chance of survival after he was diagnosed with cancer last summer and he is now in the middle of chemotherapy treatment.

When she heard of his struggle, Donna realised that the tot’s mother — Riona Smith — is a former classmate.

Donna, 25, from the Hilltown, said: “I was planning to do a skydive to raise money for the MG Association due to my condition, but when I heard about Charlie I decided to split the money.

“Half of it will go to the charity and half to Charlie’s family.

“He’s going through intensive chemotherapy and on Friday he started a high-dose, eight-week block.

“I hadn’t seen his mum since school but I felt that I wanted to help.

“My condition won’t stop me — it’s being controlled by medication, although there have been times when it’s been really bad.

“At one point I struggled to leave the house and I had a lot of problems with my second pregnancy due to MG.

“It really flared up and I had to stay in hospital.

“Then I had a placental abruption, which means the placenta separates from the womb, and doctors had to use a suction cup to help with the birth.

“Laylah is now 12 weeks old and we’re both doing well.

“I’m determined to do the skydive at Errol airfield and I’ve been told it’s safe — I’ve just got to fix a date.”

Riona said Charlie’s illness has been hard on the family, but she’s trying to stay positive.

The 24-year-old from Forfar has two other kids, Kelsie, 4, and Riley, 3, and said that she needs to stay strong for them too.

Riona said: “Charlie has had six cycles of chemotherapy already.

“This is now the last lot, and the doctors have said if the cancer comes back after that there won’t be much more they can do, other than keep it at bay.

“But they’ve told us that in this case, we’d have to let him go eventually.

“I’m hoping it won’t come to that — at first Charlie had a 30% chance of survival, now they’re saying it’s 50%.

“It has been so hard for us but we’ve got to keep going. I need to be strong for Kelsie and Riley as well.”

Police are investigating after a brawl broke out at a Sunday league football match in a Dundee park.

The Dundee Sunday Amateur Football Association match between Queen Anne AFC and Plough Athletic took place at Lochee Park on Sunday but had to be abandoned after a large-scale fight broke out.

It is understood that violence erupted when one of the Queen Anne AFC players suffered a broken jaw during the game.

A video, seen by the Tele and capturing the end of the incident, shows opposing players throwing punches before other players from both teams intervened.

It also shows the referee repeatedly blowing his whistle while shouting “the match is abandoned thank you”.

Players can be seen being dragged apart from each other.

The footage shows multiple stand-offs occurring between the sets of opposing players, with other players having to separate them from each other.

Other players appear to be disappointed that the match had been abandoned.

One person, believed to be an eyewitness, said online that a fight had broken out with Queen Anne AFC leading 2-1 with less than two minutes left in the fixture.

He added: “One of our boys got his jaw broke and a full scale riot broke out. Both teams as bad as each other.”

Another person said: “Two minutes to go to the end, you would think they’d be more interested in trying to get an equaliser.”

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland confirmed that officers were looking into the disturbance.

She said: “Police Scotland have received a report of an incident which happened at Lochee Park on Sunday. Inquiries are ongoing.”

Jamie Hart, secretary of Plough Athletic, said: “I am not allowed to say anything at the moment because it will be dealt with by the Scottish Amateur Association.

“I can’t confirm anything or comment any further until they deal with it.”

A spokesman for Queen Anne AFC confirmed one of their players is being treated for a broken jaw, but declined to comment further.

Allan Ramsey, of the Dundee Sunday Amateur Football Association, said: “We need to wait now to get the referee’s match report. I have heard police were involved but I can’t confirm that.”

Off their trollies? A wheelie good adventure in the hills?

One thing’s for sure – there Asda be an explanation.

Mystery today surrounds the appearance of a shopping trolley at the top of the Sidlaw Hills.

After a walk along paths on heathery hills to the summit it’s not the place you’d expect to see a trolley from Asda.

But just how did the trolley, complete with a baby seat, get there?

Do you know who put the trolley on the Sidlaws? Contact the Tele on Facebook, on Twitter: @Evening_Tele or email newsdesk@evening@telegraph.co.uk

A man today admitted abducting a child in a Dundee toy shop – while naked and armed with a cricket bat.

Przemyslaw Kaluzny, 41, seized the child by the arm at Toys R Us, Kingsway West, and dragged his young victim along the ground.

Kaluzny then assaulted a female pensioner with a cricket bat, hitting her on the head to her injury.

The court heard that police arrived quickly on the scene, handcuffed Kaluzny, and took him to headquarters at Bell Street.

However, he managed to snap the connecting bar of the cuffs during the journey.

Today at Dundee Sheriff Court, Kaluzny admitted six charges against him on indictment, all of which related to events on April 5, at the Kingsway West toy shop.

For the full story, see tonight’s Evening Telegraph.

One lucky Dundonian bagged herself free doughnuts for a year after being the first in line for the new store opening today.

Aimee Cruickshank, 18, was the first customer at Krispy Kreme’s new outlet in the Overgate Centre.

The Dundee and Angus College student was rewarded with a coveted Krispy Kreme Gold Card, entitling her to a free double dozen (two 12-pack of doughnuts) every month for a year.

Aimee said she wouldn’t be scoffing all of the calorific treats herself, though.

She said: “As soon as I heard that a new Krispy Kreme store was opening in Dundee I wanted to try to be the first customer in store”

“I’m so happy to be the first in store and to get my hands on a Krispy Kreme Gold Card – I’ll be sharing some of my dozens with my friends and family.

The first dozen in line were also treated to a Krispy Kreme goody bag and the first 50 customers received vouchers for future visits.

Judith Denby, Chief Marketing Officer at Krispy Kreme, said:  “The reception we have received in Scotland so far has been overwhelming and we were keen to bring the joy of Krispy Kreme to Dundee.

“We were excited to open in Overgate as it is a great location and the response we’ve has this morning has been fantastic. We’re looking forward to welcoming even more shoppers in for fresh doughnuts!”

A dog owner has hit out at a motorist he claims struck his dog and just kept on driving.

Steven Wrycza, 23, of Arthurstone Terrace, said that someone had wedged his garden gate open with a brick one evening last week — allowing his dog, Alfie, to get out of the garden and run straight on to the road.

To Steven’s horror, Alfie was struck by a passing car.

Steven, a city aid worker, said: “I couldn’t believe that someone could hit my dog over and not even to stop to see how he was.

“The car that hit my dog just carried on its way. It didn’t even appear to slow down. There is no way the driver couldn’t have realised that he had hit something.”

He said the car that hit Alfie, a two-and-a-half-year-old Jack-a-doodle, just continued on its way.

Steven, who witnessed the whole incident, said: “I couldn’t believe what the driver did — why would you hit something on the road and just drive on?

“What made the whole thing worse was that, when I ran on to the road to try to help Alfie, other traffic just carried on as normal.

“No one slowed down or stopped or attempted to help me in any way.

“In fact, just as I got back to the pavement, one car nearly hit me.

“I hate to think what might have happened if a child had run on to the road after their dog.”

After Alfie was hit, he managed to get himself off the road and back into Steven’s garden.

The dog ended up with three missing teeth, a cut to his chin and bruised ribs.

But after the vet patched Alfie up, Steven was able to take him home.

Steven now plans to report the incident to police.

He said: “Poor Alfie was in quite a bad way and I had to take him to the vet straight away.

“Fortunately, he is getting better but it could have been so much worse.

“I would hate to think that anyone else would have to witness their dog being run down.

“To then have to just watch the driver carry on as if nothing had happened was horrible.

“Alfie didn’t stand a chance of getting out of the way the speed the traffic was moving it.

“I hope whoever hit him reads this and realises what they did.

“Thank goodness Alfie wasn’t more badly hurt and that I wasn’t knocked down while trying to get him to safety.”

Vandals have targeted a city church, causing more than £1,000 of damage to the building.

Whitfield Parish Church, in Haddington Crescent, had windows in its sun lounge smashed.

And church leaders told the Tele that the building was a constant target for vandals.

Wendy MacNaughton, 73, convener of the church, said: “It is very upsetting that this keeps happening. I walked in and there was glass everywhere.

“It took the whole morning to clean up.

“The sun lounge windows have been replaced more than once over the last couple of months because they keep getting smashed.

“The minister was at the glazers with a cheque to repair the last lot of windows, and then this happens a few days later.

“We have been quoted more than a total of £1,000 for this window and another one which has been damaged, — we are struggling to afford it.”

She added that everyone who uses the church is at their wits’ end.

Mrs MacNaughton said: “It has been fairly constant for the last few months, in fact it has been going on for years, off and on.

“We are a small, ageing congregation, but the building is very busy, the doors are open for a reason.

“We’ve even had to move the rocks from the rockery outside to try to stop it.”

Churchgoers also hit out at the vandalism.

Agnes Campbell, 67, said: “Every time we come up here, it seems there is another window smashed. It’s really bad and the church doesn’t have enough money to keep paying for the repairs.”

Larry Todd, 74, said the situation was getting worse, while Pearl Queen, 61, said: “We’re all sick of the vandalism.”

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland, said inquiries were continuing, adding: “Officers who work as part of our community are keen to hear from anyone who has any concerns about acts of anti-social behaviour in the area of Whitfield Parish Church.”

Police have launched an investigation after firebugs set a speed camera on fire just outside of Dundee.

It is thought that the fixed camera went up in flames on Thursday night at Petterden on the A90.

It appears the device, which monitors southbound traffic, became alight after the culprit lit grass beneath it.

The ground surrounding the camera was charred and there were clear black marks on the instrument itself.

Angus deputy area commander Inspector Ally Robertson said: “We’re still investigating the incident, but what I’d like to stress is that these cameras are all about safety of the public and reducing incidents of speeds there — it’s in everybody’s interests that we have safe roads.

“We regularly patrol in vehicles to make sure we have good management of the roads and the safety camera partnership is a vital part of that.

“Now that camera will be out of action for a while.

“These cameras cost a lot of money, which comes from public funds, and the overarching reason for their existence is to reduce casualties.”

Speed cameras are sometimes labelled as money-making devices, but Insp Robertson insisted the Petterden one was installed because it covers a potentially dangerous area.

He said: “We are talking about a road which has a sweeping downhill bend where your speed can creep up and there’s a number of junctions, too, including a farm track.

“It’s even more important just now because at this time of year the harvest season starts soon.

“So we need the speed to be under control to help people get on the road safely from the junctions.

“Some people have issues with speed cameras but we’re doing really well this year in terms of road collisions and fatalities.”

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland asked for any witnesses to come forward with information.

She said: “Police Scotland can confirm that officers are making inquiries after a fixed safety camera was damaged on the southbound carriageway on the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee Road at the Petterden junction between 9.15pm and 10pm on Thursday, September 24.

“Anyone who was in the area during this time and saw or heard any suspicious activity is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101.”

The speed camera affected is called a Gatso, which usually costs about £20,000 to install.

However, that can rise to £40,000 if they are located in a rural location which requires a 240v power supply to be fitted as well. They are able to measure the length of vehicles for which there are different speed limits.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry will be held next month into the death of a Dundee murderer.

The probe into the death of Albert Cosgrove is set to take place on November 25 at 10am.

A preliminary hearing will also be held on October 27 at 2pm.

Both will be located at the Sheriff Court in Tay Street in Perth.

Cosgrove, who was 45 at the time of his death, gained notoriety in Dundee after bludgeoning another man to death with a guitar.

He died while serving as a prisoner at HMP Perth.

Cosgrove was given a life sentence in August 1989 after he was found guilty of murdering Victor Cole, 44, at Shepherd’s Loan in the West End.

He was convicted at the High Court in Perth after a five-day trial in December 1989.

Cosgrove moved back to Dundee after being released on life licence in May 2005, spending time living at the East Port Bail Hostel in King Street, Dundee.

He was treated in hospital for a suspected drug overdose in 2012.

He was later imprisoned at HMP Perth in April 2014 after being convicted at Dundee Sheriff Court of a theft offence.

At the time of Cosgrove’s trial, the court heard that he carried out a sustained attack on Mr Cole.

Cosgrove claimed to have carried out the attack after hearing that Mr Cole was a convicted child molester.

He claimed to have been told in a pub Cole was “a beastie”.

He repeatedly punched and kicked him on the head and body and struck him on the head, neck, body, hands and arms with a blunt object.

Cosgrove used a neck piece of a guitar to beat his victim, leaving him in a bloody mess on the ground.

Cosgrove said: “Never mind. Blood’s nothing. He’ll be OK in the morning.”

The injuries inflicted on Mr Cole were described as “horrific” at the trial.

He had numerous fractures to his face and skull and his brain was protruding from a five-inch gap in his head.

Whether Mr Cole had been a sex abuser was never revealed in court.

Cosgrove’s victim was a country and western music enthusiast and had kept the long neck piece of a guitar, which was used in the attack, as a wall monument.

At the time of his death, a spokeswoman for the Scottish Prison Service confirmed that Cosgrove had died at HMP Perth.

She said: “Next of kin have been informed and a fatal accident inquiry will be held in due course.”

The mum of a tragic teen who was killed by a taxi has made a final vow to gain closure from her son’s death after hitting “rock bottom”.

Former Morgan Academy classmates Ricky Flynn, Nadine Duffy and Lisa Hutton died in 2010, 2013 and 2010 respectively, devastating their fellow pupils and families alike.

Ricky passed away aged 16 when he was run over on the Kingsway, 19-year-old Nadine died while living in Magaluf, and Lisa lost her life aged just 15 from an accidental overdose.

A gathering of the trio’s friends and family took place at the Four J’s bar on Dundonald Street to sing songs and share stories of the past to mark what would have been the year of their 21st birthdays.

Ricky’s mum, Alison Flynn, 51, said she was determined to try to move on with her life and wanted to use the memorial event at the weekend to try to gain closure.

Alison, who lives in the Dens Road area, said: “All three were close friends.

“They were in the same class at Morgan Academy in first year, so it hit them all hard and, of course, we have to keep their memories alive.

“I know all Ricky’s friends really well as they practically lived here at my home for six months when it happened.

“Nadine, in particular, never left my side — she took it really badly.

“The three of them would have been 21 this year, and that’s why one of Ricky’s pals decided to organise this.

“It was the last public activity for me. It will be five years on October 10 that Ricky died, and I’ve got to try to move on.

“I think about him every single second and this event was difficult. I’ve hit rock bottom so much and now I’ve got to pick myself up.

“I know I have to draw a line some place — I’ve got a new granddaughter and she has made me realise we’ve got to move on.”

Friends of the trio met at 4pm on Saturday for the commemoration so they could watch the football scores come in.

Ricky was a Dundee FC fan and Alison, a transport administrator with Dundee City Council, said it was a fitting time to hold the event.

She said: “It started at 4pm, which coincided with the football scores coming in — Ricky was a big Dundee FC fan.

“It was not just drinking, though. There was also singing and one of their classmates is a singer/songwriter now, so she performed.

“Ricky was right into music and he once wrote a song called Happier Days for one of his classmates whose granddad passed away, so that song was sung too.”

A Polish man who abducted a child from a Dundee toy shop while naked and armed with a cricket bat had previously served sentences in his homeland for robbery and hostage taking.

The Tele has learned that Przemyslaw Kaluzny spent years behind bars for serious offences prior to moving to Dundee.

In 1997, he was sentenced to four years and six months at Poznan District Court for robbery.

The following year, he was back at the same court to receive a 10-month sentence for hostage taking.

Upon his release, he continued to offend, and was twice convicted of burglary.

The 41-year-old’s criminal past came to light after he admitted a naked rampage through a Dundee toy shop.

Kaluzny seized a child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, by the arm at Toys R Us, Kingsway, and dragged the child along the ground.

Kaluzny then assaulted the child’s grandmother with a cricket bat, hitting her on the head to her injury.

Police arrived at the scene quickly, handcuffed Kaluzny and took him to their headquarters.

However, he managed to snap the connecting bar of the cuffs during the journey.

At Dundee Sheriff Court, Kaluzny admitted six charges against him on indictment, all of which related to events which took place on April 5, at Toys R Us.

Kaluzny, currently of Murray Royal Hospital, Perth, admitted having a weapon and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

He also pleaded guilty to charges of public indecency, abducting a child, assault and vandalism.

The six charges he admitted at Dundee today state that he entered Toys R Us with a bat on Easter Sunday this year.

Kaluzny then proceeded to removed all of his clothing until he was completely naked and shouted at both staff and customers, placing them in a state of fear and alarm.

Kaluzny also behaved aggressively towards staff and customers having brandished a weapon — a cricket bat — within the store.

He then seized a child by the arm, dragged the child along the ground, then picked up and held the child.

And he assaulted the child’s grandmother, who cannot be named, by hitting her on the head with the cricket bat, to her injury.

Kaluzny then abducted the child by taking him from the premises and detaining him against his will.

The final charge stated Kaluzny damaged police property by snapping the connecting part of handcuffs whilst he was within a police car being taken to Dundee police headquarters.

Sentence was deferred until later this year.

Fresh claims have surfaced that the newly revamped Dundee bus service is leaving workers unable to get to work on time.

Lorraine Pratt, 50, said the new bus timetables now make it very difficult to get to her job at Ninewells Hospital without being late.

The healthcare assistant uses the number 10 bus, which used to stop on Turnberry Avenue, in plenty of time for her to get to work for an early shift.

She said: “I often start work at 7am, and the new timetable means the first bus in the morning gets me there at 7.07am, meaning I’d be late.

“The first bus on Saturday gets in at 7.38am, which is even later.

“I’ve now got to take a 20-minute walk along Camperdown Road — leaving the house at 5.50am — to catch a bus that will get me there on time.

“Come the winter mornings, I’ll be walking along that road on my own in the dark.

“I’m very angry about it and so are a lot of other people. The bus company’s simply not listening to people.

“Ninewells is the biggest employer in Dundee. People work all times of the day and night and not everybody drives.”

Dundonians have taken to social media to vent their fury at the new timetables.

Caroline Doyle said: “I’ve had to change my working hours at Ninewells. I usually start at 8am but had to change to 8.15am.

“That means I have to make it up at the end of the day. My bus is now supposed to get to Ninewells at 8.07am, but hasn’t made that time yet.”

Richard Bremner complained about the number 28 service in Charleston.

He said: “The 28 leaves the Charleston Asda at one minute to the hour, so if you finish work on the hour, you miss the bus.”

A major overhaul of bus routes and timetables came into force on September 13.

A spokeswoman for Xplore Dundee — formerly known as National Express Dundee — said: “We hope the vast majority of our passengers will enjoy simpler routes and improved reliability as a result of our recent timetable changes.

“We have done our best to take into account the needs of commuters to some of the city’s largest workplaces.

“However, we want every customer to have a great experience and welcome all feedback, which is passed to our operations team and taken into consideration for any future changes.”

Landed with a £4,000 electricity bill, and left without power for four days.

Just two of the stories Dundonians had when recounting their experiences of dealing with gas and electricity companies.

Figures from Citizens Advice have revealed the worst culprits when it comes to dealing with customer complaints.

The worst-performing company was ScottishPower, with 944 complaints per 100,000 customers between April and June. SSE was the best-performing firm, with 47 complaints per 100,000.

Sarah Beattie-Smith, consumer spokesperson for Citizens Advice Scotland said: “These latest complaint figures confirm what thousands of Scottish energy customers already know — that far too many companies are still failing them.

“Yet again, some of the biggest companies in the market have fallen short of what consumers rightly expect — accurate bills, accessible customer service and fair tariffs. In publishing these figures, we are calling on the worst energy firms to improve their customer service.”

Claire Scott, a retail manager from Seagate, said she had experienced problems with the energy firm SSE.

The 26-year-old said: “One month we got a bill through asking us to pay up £4,000.

“We eventually found out there was someone else with the same name as my fiancé.

“The company was adding their bill on to ours. We then had to go through a number of stages to prove who we were — as if the mistake was our fault.

“The situation was soon sorted out, but with the amount of stress it caused us, we were not offered any kind of compensation or even an apology. “

Anthony Bruce, 30, an oil rig worker from Douglas, said he was without power for four days when his meter ran out of battery.

He said: “My provider said they had no record of supplying energy.

“I’ve got a newborn and we had to live without electricity for four days.

“We didn’t have power from the Friday and on the Tuesday SSE called me to say they were the provider and would be out to fix it — it was a joke.”

Mark Law, 37, a skilled labourer from the city centre, said: “I don’t have a problem with the prices they charge, but the phone service is an absolute nightmare — you’re on the phone trying to get through for half the day.”

Barry Constable, 45, a shop owner from Stobswell, said his bills are too high.

He said: “It’s bankruptcy material. I need to look for other companies to see if I can get a cheaper deal, but I’m not too sure if I’ll be able to find anything.”

Ronald Ellis, 68, a retired nurse from the city centre, said: “When I changed my provider I could not get in touch with them if I had a problem, but when I decided to change back I got a phone call from them on the very day asking why I had moved.”

Rebecca Makepeace, 46, a textile technician from Carnoustie, said: “You only get real hassle when you try to change provider and the calls start flooding in.”

Will Morris, SSE’s managing director of retail, said: “We already receive fewer complaints than anyone in the industry but we won’t stop there. One complaint is one too many and, if things do go wrong, customers should know we’ll do all we can to put them right and that it won’t drag on forever.”

A ScottishPower spokesman said over the last three months there had been a 50% reduction in regulated complaints, adding: “We’d like to reassure customers we are committed to restoring our service levels to the highest possible standards.

“Last, year all our customer accounts were migrated on to a new IT system, which resulted in a very busy period as, disappointingly, we experienced more problems with the new system than we would have liked.”

More than 500 people have backed demands for a tragic Dundee teenager’s memorial tree to remain in place at Menzieshill High School.

With the school set to close its doors in 2016, Isobel Tully, 58, has raised concerns that the tree planted alongside a plaque in honour of her 15-year-old daughter, Pamela, will be bulldozed.

Dundee City Council has since said it is willing to move the plaque to the new Gowrie school or Harris Academy, but not the tree.

It was planted following a fundraising campaign by her school pals when Pamela’ died from a rare form of leukaemia in 1993, and when fellow pupil Ian McShane died a year later.

Now Pamela’s classmates have launched a petition to plead for the tree to move with the plaque to its eventual destination, or to make sure they stay together at Menzieshill and remain in place regardless of any future redevelopment.

With 559 signatures in four days, Isobel said she had been completely overwhelmed by the support.

She said: “It was launched last Thursday which was actually Pamela’s birthday.

“I had been in tears all day Thursday and Friday because I just didn’t expect that people would really get behind this.

“There’s been people from as far afield as Germany, Belgium and even Canada who have signed it and I’m absolutely delighted.

“I think the girl that set it up was only aiming for 100 signatures so to get over 500 is fantastic. I’m just so grateful.

“A lot of people think it’s just a silly tree, but it’s devastating for me and for her schoolmates — Pamela was their pal.”

Isobel and Pamela’s friends will meet later this week to discuss their plans for the future. Among their ideas is the possibility of making a bird table or memorial bench out of the tree if they cannot find another resolution.

A council spokeswoman said: “Officers from Children and Families Service have been discussing options directly with Mrs Tully.”

Two Dundee mums who have watched their children battle cancer have got behind the Tele’s Bald is Beautiful Campaign.

Pamela Conway and Kadisha Laayounie said they hoped people throughout the city would support the campaign launched last week by the Tele along with Dundee charity fundraiser Charlie Kean.

And both mums congratulated 14-year-old Megan Fletcher, who is spearheading the campaign, on her bravery.

Seven years ago Pamela, 34, of Stobswell, feared she would never see her daughter, Georgia, grow up after she was diagnosed with leukaemia.

Now, however, Georgia is a happy eight-year-old and doctors have said they don’t believe her cancer will come back.

“We went through a terrible time when Georgia was diagnosed at 23 months old,” said Pamela.

“When a child in your family is diagnosed with cancer the entire family faces difficulties.

“Parents often have to give up work to attend hospital appointments and many families suffer serious money worries.

“If Bald is Beautiful can help families in Dundee financially while coping with a sick child that would be amazing.”

Kadisha said her son Anis, 11, was now in remission after going through extensive chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

“When your child is battling cancer it is an awful time,” said Kadisha.

She said Anis spent time in hospital in Edinburgh and Dundee.

“Anis needed chemotherapy for three years and that was a very difficult time for me,” she said.

Kadisha said that her car was stolen from outside her house at the time she needed it most.

“Charlie Kean came to my rescue and actually came to me with a car so I could easily travel to hospital.

“I will never forget that and am happy to support this very worthwhile campaign.

“Megan is being a very brave girl and I hope this is successful for her sake as well as for all the other Dundee families who will benefit from the money raised.”

Meanwhile, Megan’s mum Shona said that yesterday her daughter was back in Dundee at school for a day.

Last week the Tele revealed that Megan was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

The first thing she did was have her head shaved to highlight the illness.

Megan returns to Edinburgh today for more chemotherapy before heading back to Dundee for further treatment.

Give what you can at crowdfunding.justgiving.com/charlie-kean.