An Edinburgh busker says he was 'bullied' by a local group after performing in the city, hoping to make a bit of extra cash.
Stephen Lafferty, who works part time as a cleaner, performs around the city in the early evenings though says he's always sure to stick to Edinburgh Council's 9pm curfew. On April 21, he was busking in the Grassmarket when members of a local group approached him.
He says they 'marched with anger' towards him, before 'hurling abuse'. Stephen works as a domestic cleaner for those with additional support needs, and says if he wasn't doing busking every so often he'd require a foodbank.
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Edinburgh Council's busking advice says they, and Police Scotland, 'welcome responsible buskers who brighten up the city'. They also ask that performers only busk between 9am and 9pm, and play at a considerate volume so passers-by can hear you but nearby businesses and residents are not disturbed.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Stephen said: "It was about 7.15pm when I was mid-song and saw them coming over.
"This woman immediately starts shouting at me to leave, telling me what I'm doing is illegal. I know fine well the rules of what I'm doing, I'm always sure to move on if asked and stop playing before 9pm.
"I've got to be seen to be friendly, I never want to be a nuisance."
After some back and forth, Stephen says the interaction took a turn. More members of the group joined, and began insulting him.
He continued: "Then they called me disgusting, pathetic. They were laughing about how little money I'd made.
"By the end of the night I'd make £45, which is my weekly shop, so I was happy.
"Regardless, you don't get to treat people like that. You don't get to bully people and talk down to them."
After he turned his amplifier down, as requested, he says the group left him alone. Before long though, they returned and 'circled around him'.
Stephen added: "They were acting like a gang. If a group of 'lads' did what they did, it would've been a very different story.
"They were telling me I was insulting residents, and then said I was the 'worst kind of person'. It gets to me because I'm doing this to make ends meet."
One member of the group said he was going to phone the police, though Stephen said he knew it was an act. He later phoned the police himself, to tell his side of the story, and was told no report was made - so made his own.
Police Scotland confirmed to us that the incident was reported, though no criminality was found. Edinburgh Council said they had received Stephen's complaint, and they would be responding in due course.
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