Seven charged with vandalism at Trump Turnberry golf course face 'terrorist connection' allegation

Seven people charged with vandalising Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland have been accused of malicious damage “having a terrorist connection”.

The clubhouse at the five-star Trump Turnberry hotel and resort on the west coast of Scotland was graffitied on 8 March last year and the course was dug up and painted with the words “Gaza is not 4 sale”.

Kieran Robson, 35, Uzma Bashir, 56, Ricky Southall, 34, Autumn Taylor Ward, 22, Rebecca Sian Davies, 29, John Moxley, 58, and Dylan Chiaramello, 24, have all been charged in relation to the action and are due to appear in court on 31 August.

The indictment alleges that the defendants “did maliciously damage property there in that you did maliciously dig up turf on the golf course, spray glyphosate [weed killer] or similar substance on the fairways and greens, spray a building and signpost with paint, paint political and offensive slogans on the grass, score a political slogan into the turf, paint political and offensive slogans on a building, walls and pillars, damage a sprinkler system causing flooding, and damage a light”.

It adds that it will be proved “that the aforesaid offence was aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection”.

A note of a meeting on 13 March last year between the Scottish first minister, John Swinney, and the US president’s son Eric Trump, said it “noted with concern the recent incident at the Trump Turnberry property, condemning the damage caused by vandalism and offered reassurance that the relevant authorities would continue to take the incident seriously”.

Turnberry’s famous Ailsa golf course has staged the Open four times. Tee times for non-residents are listed at up to £1,000 a head at the Ayrshire resort, which Trump added his name to after buying it from a Dubai-based group in 2014 for an undisclosed sum.