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North-east “junkie” followed schoolboy home, demanding money

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A north-east mother has urged other parents to be vigilant after her son was approached by a stranger demanding money as he walked home from school.

Following the incident in the Gallowhill Street area of Banff on Tuesday afternoon, mother Denise Sivewright posted a warning on local social media pages about a man trying to scam youngsters out of money because “his son is dying”.

Dozens of local residents responded with similar stories about the male approaching youngsters and pensioners in the seaside town.

In every case, it was claimed a different plea about a “dying son” or “mother on life support” was made to elicit small sums of cash.

Last night, Miss Sivewright – who contacted the police after the man followed her teenage son home from Banff Academy – alleged the culprit was a well-known local “junkie”.

She said: “My son came out of school and I don’t live too far away.

“He [the man] met him at the roundabout and asked for money.”

Miss Sivewright added that when her son told the man he had no cash, the stranger told him to walk home and get some.

She said: “He followed him right down the street. I saw my son’s face and knew something was wrong. I thought, he’s not getting away with that, so I called the police.”

Miss Sivewright said she has now been inundated with messages from other residents in Banff and Macduff about similar incidents.

She added: “It’s quite intimidating. The man was out of his face on drugs. You can’t expect a kid or an older person to handle that.”

A spokeswoman for the police confirmed officers were contacted in the wake of the incident.

She said: “Police Scotland received a call on Tuesday, May 3 concerning a man who had spoken to a 16-year-old boy asking for money.

“Officers traced the man and gave suitable advice.”