Woman faces 12 charges in extortion trial

May 1 2008

A WOMAN this week appeared in court on a series of charges of extortion concerning security contracts.

Marion Lang (35) denied a total of 12 charges at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Tuesday before Sheriff Marie Smart.

The offences were alleged to have taken place in 2004 and 2005.

One allegation is that Lang, of Castlemilk Road, Glasgow, tried to obtain a contract for Lochwood Security Services Ltd by threatening to kill a woman in phone calls made between January 18, 2005, and March 18, 2005.

Further charges state that she either visited or called a number of premises, adopted a menacing or intimidating manner, and made threats of violence.

She is said to have obtained a contract at Hamilton Racecourse by threatening to set fire to property there between November 1 and November 30, 2004.

Co-accused Wilson Bowman, of Blair Atholl Grove, Burnbank, Hamilton, also denied an extortion charge, and attempted extortion charges, for security contracts.

One charge stated that he repeatedly visited Russell Construction at Hillhouse Industrial Estate, Hamilton, and adopted a menacing and intimidating attitude towards William Russell snr and William Russell jnr, made threats of violence, and threatened to set fire to machinery there.

Lang also appeared on the same attempted extortion charge.

Bowman (50) also denied assaulting two men on the banks of the Clyde in Cambuslang in February 2005.

Lang is also accused of extorting contracts at Haemonetics, Bothwell and Moore and Mulhearn Contracts Ltd, Uddingston.

She is also said to have tried to extort security contracts at Persimmon Homes, Ewart Crescent, Hamilton; a Bovis site at High Blantyre Primary, Hunthill Road; a site of McGarvey Construction in Cadzow Avenue, Hamilton, and sites in East Kilbride, Cambuslang and Denny.

Bowman is also charged with extortion at Moore and Mulhearn, and of attempted extortion at a site occupied by George Wimpey West Scotland in Cambuslang.

Extortion is also said to have been attempted by Bowman at Hallside Construction, Cambuslang.

The trial continues.