This is a good question. There's so much complexity that it's probably worth a recap.
- English couple move to Altnabreac station. The female is a former detective with Greater Manchester Police.
- There's some odd media reports about her disappearance a few years prior.
- There's allegations that the house was purchased using money abstracted from her siblings in her Irish father's inheritance. Best not to get involved in these rumours.
- There's allegations that the male is the same person who assaulted somebody with the same surname as the female many years ago. Again, best not to get involved in these rumours.
- There's allegations that the female runs, or is involved in, a Christian "cult". Again, best not to get involved in these rumours.
- The previous occupants of the house were a female who went on BBC News to attest that she was abused by the pretty much one neighbour that they have (Kevin Booth) who is a convicted sex offender with a ban on outside-UK travel or hiring women without notifying Police Scotland in advance.
- The other previous occupant was a car mechanic, who died on the property as a result of an incident with some mechanic equipment. The Health & Safety Executive decided not to investigate because they determined it wasn't a workplace, but effectively a hobby on his part.
- The couple who have moved there originally started their YouTube channel to, as they say, expose, the cover-up of this mechanic's death.
- Network Rail needed to install tactile paving on the station platform, for accessibility purposes. The couple denied Network Rail and ScotRail access as they claimed they owned the whole of the station, sections of the rail, and a bit more.
- Because they couldn't install tactile paving, ScotRail halted services to the station for 18 months, until it could be installed via on-track plant rather than road access.
- Surveyors were brought out by both sides and have their own version of where the boundaries lie.
- The couple then stopped ScotRail trains at a level crossing about 600m away from the station platform. They are accused of a criminal offence in regards to this matter - reckless endangerment. Originally criminal trespass was put forwards but has subsequently been dropped. This is being held in Wick Sheriff Court. It has been delayed a number of times, for everything from road conditions preventing the couple getting to court, to Network Rail's CCTV evidence not having been seen by the defendants.
- The couple argue that owing to the speed restriction of the trains on this stretch of track, the lack of signage at the station regarding how to "request to stop" a train, and that they believed they owned the level crossing and railway tracks, that stopping the trains to inform the drivers that they were trespassing on their property was justified.
- The house is to the south of the railway line. To the north is an EE telecoms mast. The couple prevented EE from taking their motor vehicles across the level crossing to perform maintenance on the mast. The couple maintained that they were the only "authorised users" (a technical term in Network Rail parlance) of the crossing. They are involved in a civil matter relating to this because EE supposedly brought in the materials by helicopter instead which, while the damages claimed haven't been publicly disclosed yet, probably costs a lot of money. There is a civil matter in the Court of Session in Edinburgh regarding this. The CoS usually only initially handles civil claims which are £100k+ in value, so it's very likely that EE are claiming a very significant sum in damages. The last proof hearing has been held and Lord Lake is away to consider all the evidence and make a decision, which may take some weeks or months.
- The Scottish equivalent of injunctions have been issued on a number of occasions. One is to allow Network Rail access to the platform. Another is a form of non-harassment order from the convicted sex offender neighbour against the couple filming him and his visitors and publishing things online, etc.
- Because the couple couldn't attend court on a number of occasions (including that ScotRail suspended services from their station because of the access problems), a lot of these things have been held remotely over video link instead of in-person at court. The couple asked at the start of one video link hearing whether they could report proceedings. They were told no. They recorded them anyway, and then published them to YouTube. As a result of this, they are facing both civil and criminal proceedings for contempt of court, which are being held at Inverness justice centre. Because of the couple's failure to attend some prior contempt proceedings, they have been arrested and held in custody in Inverness and forcibly taken into the court to answer.
- Amongst all of this there's been a few other sets of proceedings initiated and then dropped or lost, mainly regarding access.
- The couple allege on their YouTube channel that this is a Freemason conspiracy to protect their convicted sex offender neighbour.
So where are we now?
- Civil proceedings from Kevin Booth and others against the station cottage owners, which is basically trying to renew a non-molestation order. 20th August is the new hearing date, via WebEx from Wick.
- Civil proceedings from EE against the cottage owners, which has all been heard and is in the deciding hands of Lord Lake, expect an outcome in a few weeks or months.
- Criminal proceedings from the PF for the endangerment issue of stopping trains at a level crossing. Monday 26th-29th October, in-person at Wick Sheriff Court.
- Civil and criminal proceedings for contempt of court, being heard in Inverness in-person. Date TBC. They have been found guilty of 7 out of 11 charges already.
There is much commentary about all this online, especially YouTube. It is worth remembering that a lot of the personal life rumours are just rumours and it's hard to verify a lot of these details, unless you're willing to stick your neck out as a journalist. Also that, while I think a lot of us have strong opinions about whether they should win or lose their cases, they are ultimately innocent until proven guilty in the criminal cases, and in the civil cases it seems like a fair amount of paperwork and admin has been mishandled, so I wouldn't exactly be betting my pension on some of the outcomes. They also in the process have alleged bias from sheriffs dealing with their cases and hinted towards making human rights claims, so there's a reasonable chance that they'll try and appeal some of the decisions which happen over the next few weeks/months.
I think that's a broad enough summary of what's gone on.
