A couple left fearing for their lives when 300 vigilantes attacked their home are hiding in a safe house after false information from paedophile hunters circulated online.
David McLean, 37, was wrongfully outed as a sex offender by hunt group Exposed Britain in a Facebook post in 2018, but things took an ugly turn in February this year when the post resurfaced - sparking a mob of angry locals to target his Dumbarton home.
The incident was then live streamed on TikTok, causing hundreds more to join the crowd before a vicious riot broke out.
David and his partner Shona, 35, cowered inside their home while the mob launched fireworks and bricks at their windows. Scenes outside also descended into chaos as protestors attacked riot cops and smashed up patrol cars.
Shona told the Record she thought she and David would be killed in the terrifying ordeal.
She said: "We were terrified, absolutely terrified. People were outside chanting 'dirty beast' and the crowd just got bigger, bigger and bigger.
"The police tried to get us out at the start, but the crowd gathered so quickly it wasn't safe to move us.
"We spent two hours inside listening to all of that. Fireworks and boulders were being thrown at the house. Cars were being kicked and smashed.
"I didn't know if we were going to be killed. It was horrific."
Police eventually managed to remove Shona and David from the property after cutting down a fence in the back garden.
Riot cops then formed a barricade to protect the pair from missiles launched at them by the crowd as they sprinted to safety.
The couple have since been moved to an undisclosed location. Their home in Dumbarton is currently boarded up.
Shona said she and her husband live every day petrified they will be found and targeted again.
She continued: "Before this happened we were planning our wedding, but since this started I've been thinking more about planning our funerals."
Police reports seen by the Record confirm David has never been charged with any sexual offence and that he is not on the sex offenders register.
The couple believe that the false information circulated online after a malicious rumour was started by someone known to David after a fall out.
Shona says the horrific incident could have been avoided if someone from the group had checked the information was accurate.
She added: "If someone had phoned the police and asked if David was on the sex offenders register, they would have known the information was inaccurate.
"Anyone can write something on Facebook, but that doesn't mean it's true."
Ten people were arrested and charged with mobbing and rioting following the attack on David and Shona's home.
Police Scotland confirmed the incident was caused by inaccurate information circulating online.
Area Commander Chief Inspector Ryan McMurdo described the scenes at the riot as "unacceptable".
He said: “What happened in Graham Road in Dumbarton is totally unacceptable and I understand the fear and alarm it will have caused.
“Due to the incident, several police vehicles were out of service, directly impacting local policing.
“As a police officer, I will always uphold the rights of those who wish to engage in a peaceful protest. However, when that behaviour descends into criminality, resulting in the scenes we witnessed last night, then I will act and ensure those responsible will face the consequences of their actions.”
The incident has also prompted Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie Baillie to call on social media giants to take action on those who share malicious information online.
She said: “The safety of residents and police officers is of the utmost importance. When large-scale vigilante incidents like this happen, it diverts police away from emergencies, which should be the last thing anyone wants to happen.
“There is no excuse for false information being circulated online. I am hopeful that the Online Safety Bill which is currently going through the House of Commons will help bring an end to this and give more responsibility to social media firms to take action against those who post malicious information online.”
A worrying trend of live streaming protests online has been steadily rising across Scotland, with police sometimes forced to spend hours on end controlling crowds.
In September 2022, an angry paedophile protest mob gathered in Ballindean Road in Dundee resulting in a hostile standoff with riot cops. Missiles were thrown at officers and vehicles.
In a linked incident, just hours later on Craigmore Street, cops clashed with crowds again as missiles were thrown at officers and a car outside the home of an alleged paedophile was smashed.
Police were seen standing guard outside the home as shattered glass littered the street.
One month later, in October 2022, riot cops were called to Links Street in Kirkcaldy, after an angry mob turned up outside a house and chanted "beast". A TikTok live stream of the protest was viewed by 5500 people.
Arrests were made at both protests.
TikTok and Facebook both declined to comment.
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