Man appears in court charged with malicious mischief over damage to Trump Turnberry golf resort in Scotland

31 March 2025, 15:39

A man has appeared in court accused of maliciously damaging a Scottish golf course owned by US President Donald Trump.

Police were called to the Trump Turnberry course in South Ayrshire at around 4.40am on Saturday 8 March.

Officers found red spray paint had been used to deface the 800-acre resort's clubhouse, while its greens were also damaged.

Suspect Kieran Robson, 33, was arrested earlier this month in connection with the investigation and was charged on Friday.

Robson made no plea to the single charge of malicious mischief when he appeared at Ayr Sheriff Court on Monday.

The accused, of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, was released on bail pending a further court appearance.

A Scottish government publication from October 2023 defines the common law offence of malicious mischief as the "wilful, wanton and malicious destruction of, or damage to, the property of another".

It notes the charge should only be recorded "where widespread damage is caused, where the value of the damage is considerable, or where there is disruption of power supply, flooding or similar".

The publication added there is no specific monetary value where a potential crime would be recorded as malicious mischief rather than vandalism, but multiple thousands of pounds of alleged damage would be required for it to be recorded as such.

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A 75-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman were also arrested last week as part of the investigation following inquiries in Oban, Argyll and Bute.

Both were later released pending further inquiries.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said at the time: "Enquiries are ongoing."

(c) Sky News 2025: Man appears in court charged with malicious mischief over damage to Trump Turnberry golf resort in Scotland